The 2025 NBA playoffs are in full swing as the conference semifinals matchups inch to a close. Multiple teams face dire situations, down 3-1 and needing to become just the 14th team in NBA history to come back from such a deficit.
With that in mind, what are the greatest series comebacks in, specifically, the NBA West semifinals?
Top 10 Greatest Series Comebacks in NBA West Semifinals History
10) Portland Trail Blazers vs. Denver Nuggets (2019)
This series was an absolute roller-coaster, as Game 3 went deep into the night on the West Coast — to quadruple-overtime, where the Portland Trail Blazers pulled out a 140-137 win to take a 2-1 series lead. But then the Denver Nuggets caught their stride, winning the next two games and putting themselves in position to take the series in Portland.
After the first quarter, it looked like they were going to do just that as they took an eight-point lead. But the Blazers, led by CJ McCollum’s nine points, outscored Denver 32-20 in the second quarter and never looked back, taking the game by double figures and forcing a Game 7 on the Nuggets’ floor.
In a contest that looked bleak early for Portland, which once again trailed after the first quarter — this time by 12 — McCollum was the catalyst again, scoring a game-high 37 points and drilling a nasty pull-up jumper to put the Blazers up for good.
9) Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Denver Nuggets (2024)
The Minnesota Timberwolves never thought they’d be down 3-2 in this series after jumping out to a 2-0 lead — on Denver’s home court. But that’s exactly where they found themselves after the second-seeded Denver Nuggets stormed back and won three consecutive games with an average margin of victory of 16.6 points.
Facing elimination in Game 6, Minnesota responded with a 35-point blowout win, putting the onus back on the Nuggets as the series traveled back to Denver.
Denver began Game 7 with yet another response of its own, leading by as many as 20 points early in the third quarter. Then, Anthony Edwards and the Wolves finally woke up, outscoring the Nuggets by 23 points in the second half and completing the largest comeback win in Game 7 history.
8) Golden State Warriors vs. Memphis Grizzlies (2015)
Though the Golden State Warriors rebounded from just a 2-1 series deficit, it’s the way that they did it that puts them here — and what followed.
After ceding Game 1, the “Grit and Grind” Memphis Grizzlies bullied Stephen Curry and the Warriors in Games 2 and 3, holding them to just 179 points total. Curry, the 2015 MVP, shot a combined 37.5% in those games.
But once Game 4 came around, a flip had switched. The Warriors won Games 4, 5, and 6 by an average margin of 16.6 points and broke the hearts of Grizzlies fans by closing out the series in Memphis.
Golden State went on to win the 2015 NBA championship, including winning it all in three of the next four years after breaking through in this series.
7) San Antonio Spurs vs. New Orleans Hornets (2008)
New Orleans, led by All-Star point guard Chris Paul, took it to the defending NBA champion San Antonio Spurs right away. As the higher seed, they took both home games to begin the series — with neither being close, winning by a combined 37 points.
Tim Duncan and the Spurs came right back, winning both games in San Antonio to even the series before the New Orleans Hornets won again on their floor to go up 3-2 and put the Spurs on the brink of elimination.
Then, Manu Ginóbili put together arguably the best two-game span of his NBA career, scoring game-highs of 25 and 26 points in Games 6 and 7, respectively, to vault the Spurs to the Western Conference Finals.
Down 2-0 and 3-2, the Spurs didn’t panic and fought their way back to continue their title defense.
6) Dallas Mavericks vs. Phoenix Suns (2022)
The Dallas Mavericks did exactly to the Phoenix Suns what the Spurs did to the Hornets — but simply at a more memorable level, as Luka Dončić single-handedly eviscerated this Phoenix team.
Down 2-0 to the 64-win Suns, the Mavericks answered the call with two wins of their own to tie the series heading into Game 5. A 30-point Phoenix win ensued, signaling to many analysts that the series would be over in Dallas come Game 6. Dončić was hearing none of that, as he scored a game-high 33 points in leading a 27-point blowout victory.
Game 7 was what will be remembered in NBA history, however. Coming in as -6.5 point underdogs, the Mavericks found themselves up 57-27 at halftime — with Dončić tying the entire Suns roster by scoring 27 points of his own.
The 33-point win was the fifth-largest in a Game 7 in league history, cementing the series as one to remember for Dallas and one to forget for Phoenix, which dismantled its roster soon after.
5) Los Angeles Lakers vs. San Antonio Spurs (2004)
Coming off an NBA championship in 2003, the Spurs looked to be gearing up towards a title defense run through the West when they took a commanding 2-0 lead over the Los Angeles Lakers, winning both games by 10 points at home.
But the Lakers didn’t blink, tying the series with two victories of their own in Los Angeles, highlighted by Kobe Bryant’s 42-point effort in Game 4.
Then, the shot that’s gone down in NBA history as one of the greatest game-winners we’ll ever see. After Duncan hit his patented fallaway jumper to put the Spurs up one point, just 0.4 seconds remained on the clock — in other words, just enough time to put up a jump-shot. Backup point guard Derek Fisher broke free and, facing away from the basket, improbably swished the ball through the hoop, much to the chagrin of the Spurs.
The Lakers won Game 6 and, after digging a two-game deficit to begin the series, closed out the defending champs with four consecutive victories.
4) Los Angeles Lakers vs. Phoenix Suns (1970)
After taking Game 1 in The Forum in Inglewood, Calif., the Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West, and Elgin Baylor-led Lakers inexplicably dropped their next three games. Each loss was by double digits.
But after cruising to a 138-121 victory in Game 5 to stave off elimination, Los Angeles finally found its defense in Games 6 and 7, holding the Suns to 93 and 94 points, respectively.
Factor in that West scored 35 points in Game 6 — with no 3-point line, mind you — and Chamberlain poured in 30 points and grabbed 27 rebounds in Game 7 and it’s not surprising that the Lakers went all the way to the NBA Finals after coming back from a 3-1 deficit in this series.
3) Houston Rockets vs. Phoenix Suns (1995)
The defending champion Houston Rockets fell down 2-0 to the Suns — losing by a combined 46 points — and could only manage to split Games 3 and 4 at home, falling into a 3-1 hole. Then, Hakeem Olajuwon came alive.
In Game 5, he scored 30 points and grabbed 16 rebounds, followed by a 30-point, 10-assist, eight-rebound near-triple-double performance in Game 6. Houston prevailed in both, forcing a decisive Game 7 in Phoenix.
Despite 46 points from the Suns’ Kevin Johnson, the Rockets won an intense final game thanks to 29 points apiece from Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler.
One of the most iconic moments in playoff history occurred in the final seconds, when the “Kiss of Death” 3-pointer by reserve guard Mario Elie put Houston up for good, completing the 3-1 comeback.
2) Houston Rockets vs. Los Angeles Clippers (2015)
Coming into the series with home court advantage, the Los Angeles Clippers were able to steal Game 1 in Houston and, although they conceded Game 2, took the reins of the series with two blowout wins in Games 3 and 4.
Heading home after losing by a combined 58 points, the Rockets seemed poised to roll over and admit defeat. But that didn’t happen, as they jumped out to a 15-point half-time lead in Game 5 and didn’t look back, winning convincingly.
With the series shifting back to L.A., oddsmakers didn’t give the Rockets much of a chance, rendering them eight-point underdogs. Led by a balanced scoring performance in which five players scored 15 or more points, Houston came away with a 12-point win and brought all the momentum to a Game 7 at home.
The Rockets completed a dominant 3-1 comeback of the Clippers — they won Games 5-7 by an average of 15.3 points — headlined by James Harden’s 31-point, seven-rebound, eight-assist performance, aided by Dwight Howard’s 16 points and 15 rebounds along with six Trevor Ariza triples.
1) Denver Nuggets vs. Los Angeles Clippers (2020)
The NBA’s bubble clearly was different from the normal playoffs in that there was no home-court advantage. Every game was played on the same court — which makes the Nuggets’ 3-1 comeback that much more impressive.
After winning Games 1, 3, and 4 by an average of 13.3 points, the Kawhi Leonard and Paul George-led Clippers looked destined to advance to the Western Conference Finals and meet their L.A. rival, the Lakers.
But Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray had other plans, beginning with eking a six-point win in Game 5 before running away with commanding victories in the remaining two contests. It was an amazing display of attrition for Denver, which had also come back from a 3-1 series deficit in the first round against the Utah Jazz.
With no home court to rely on, the Nuggets used their effort and pinpoint execution to complete their second improbable comeback in a row.
