New York down by 20 on Monday. Indiana down by 20 on Tuesday. New York down by 20 again Wednesday.
No problem.
For the first time since play-by-play began being digitally tracked across the NBA about 30 years ago, there have been three consecutive days where the winning team in a playoff game came from at least 20 points down to win.
The Knicks did it in Boston on Monday, the Pacers did it in Cleveland on Tuesday and the Knicks did it again on the Celtics' home floor Wednesday. Add in a pair of similar rallies — a 29-pointer by Oklahoma City and another 20-pointer by Indiana — in Round 1, and that pushes the total of 20-point comebacks so far this postseason to five.
That's the most of any postseason in the digital play-by-play era, which goes back to 1997.
A look at how the comebacks happened:
The big lead: Memphis 69, Oklahoma City 40, 3:07 left first half
The final score: Oklahoma City 114, Memphis 108
How it happened: Memphis’ undoing started when star guard Ja Morant got hurt and left the game on the possession where the Grizzlies took the 29-point lead. The Thunder outscored the Grizzlies 74-39 the rest of the way, with Chet Holmgren scoring 23 points for Oklahoma City in that span. Memphis missed 30 of its final 41 shots.
The big lead: Milwaukee 33, Indiana 13, 11:26 left first half
The final score: Indiana 119, Milwaukee 118, OT
How it happened: The Pacers got the lead down to six by halftime, then the final 29 minutes were largely back and forth. The Bucks led by seven with 40 seconds left in overtime, before Indiana ended the game on an 8-0 run and won it on Tyrese Haliburton’s layup with 1.4 seconds remaining.
The big lead: Boston 75, New York 55, 5:47 left third quarter
The final score: New York 108, Boston 105, OT
How it happened: The Celtics went up 20, then shot 23% the rest of the way (9 for 39) and relied almost entirely on the 3-point shot (6 for 28) over those 23 minutes. OG Anunoby and Jalen Brunson combined to outscore Boston 39-30 by themselves over that finishing stretch, and neither team scored in the final 1:16 of overtime.
The big lead: Cleveland 81, Indiana 61, 6:51 left third quarter
The final score: Indiana 120, Cleveland 119
How it happened: Over the game’s final 40 minutes, Indiana led for 0.00046% of the time — and won the game. The Pacers outscored Cleveland 59-38 over the final 18:51, Tyrese Haliburton’s 3-pointer with 1.1 seconds left capping an 8-0 burst in the final minute and giving Indiana a 2-0 series lead.
The big lead: Boston 73, New York 53, 2:19 left third quarter
The final score: New York 91, Boston 90
How it happened: The Knicks outscored the Celtics 38-17 in the final 14:19 of the game, as Boston — just like in Game 1 — built a big lead and then couldn’t hit a shot. The Celtics were 5 for 25 from the field in that stretch, 2 for 12 from 3-point range. Boston’s starters were a combined 2 for 19 down the stretch, while New York shot 15 for 28 and got 14 points from Mikal Bridges over those minutes. Jayson Tatum couldn’t get a good look on the last play, and the Knicks took a 2-0 series lead.
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba
Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams (8) reacts in the second half of Game 3 of an NBA first-round playoff series against the Memphis Grizzlies Thursday, April 24, 2025, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/Brandon Dill)
New York Knicks guard Josh Hart (3) celebrates after defeating the Boston Celtics in Game 2 of an NBA basketball second-round playoff series, Wednesday, May 7, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
U.S. President Donald Trump says Iran has proposed negotiations after his threat to strike the Islamic Republic as an ongoing crackdown on demonstrators has led to hundreds of deaths.
Trump said late Sunday that his administration was in talks to set up a meeting with Tehran, but cautioned that he may have to act first as reports mount of increasing deaths and the government continues to arrest protesters.
“The meeting is being set up, but we may have to act because of what’s happening before the meeting. But a meeting is being set up. Iran called, they want to negotiate,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One on Sunday night.
Iran did not acknowledge Trump’s comments immediately. It has previously warned the U.S. military and Israel would be “legitimate targets” if America uses force to protect demonstrators.
The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which has accurately reported on past unrest in Iran, gave the death toll. It relies on supporters in Iran cross checking information. It said at least 544 people have been killed so far, including 496 protesters and 48 people from the security forces. It said more than 10,600 people also have been detained over the two weeks of protests.
With the internet down in Iran and phone lines cut off, gauging the demonstrations from abroad has grown more difficult. Iran’s government has not offered overall casualty figures.
The Latest:
China says it opposes the use of force in international relations and expressed hope the Iranian government and people are “able to overcome the current difficulties and maintain national stability.”
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Monday that Beijing “always opposes interference in other countries’ internal affairs, maintains that the sovereignty and security of all countries should be fully protected under international law, and opposes the use or threat of use of force in international relations.”
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz condemned “in the strongest terms the violence that the leadership in Iran is directing against its own people.”
He said it was a sign of weakness rather than strength, adding that “this violence must end.”
Merz said during a visit to India that the demonstrators deserve “the greatest respect” for the courage with which “they are resisting the disproportional, brutal violence of Iranian security forces.”
He said: “I call on the Iranian leadership to protect its population rather than threatening it.”
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman on Monday suggested that a channel remained open with the United States.
Esmail Baghaei made the comment during a news conference in Tehran.
“It is open and whenever needed, through that channel, the necessary messages are exchanged,” he said.
However, Baghaei said such talks needed to be “based on the acceptance of mutual interests and concerns, not a negotiation that is one-sided, unilateral and based on dictation.”
The semiofficial Fars news agency in Iran, which is close to the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, on Monday began calling out Iranian celebrities and leaders on social media who have expressed support for the protests over the past two weeks, especially before the internet was shut down.
The threat comes as writers and other cultural leaders were targeted even before protests. The news agency highlighted specific celebrities who posted in solidarity with the protesters and scolded them for not condemning vandalism and destruction to public property or the deaths of security forces killed during clashes. The news agency accused those celebrities and leaders of inciting riots by expressing their support.
Canada said it “stands with the brave people of Iran” in a statement on social media that strongly condemned the killing of protesters during widespread protests that have rocked the country over the past two weeks.
“The Iranian regime must halt its horrific repression and intimidation and respect the human rights of its citizens,” Canada’s government said on Monday.
Iran’s foreign minister claimed Monday that “the situation has come under total control” after a bloody crackdown on nationwide protests in the country.
Abbas Araghchi offered no evidence for his claim.
Araghchi spoke to foreign diplomats in Tehran. The Qatar-funded Al Jazeera satellite news network, which has been allowed to work despite the internet being cut off in the country, carried his remarks.
Iran’s foreign minister alleged Monday that nationwide protests in his nation “turned violent and bloody to give an excuse” for U.S. President Donald Trump to intervene.
Abbas Araghchi offered no evidence for his claim, which comes after over 500 have been reported killed by activists -- the vast majority coming from demonstrators.
Araghchi spoke to foreign diplomats in Tehran. The Qatar-funded Al Jazeera satellite news network, which has been allowed to work despite the internet being cut off in the country, carried his remarks.
Iran has summoned the British ambassador over protesters twice taking down the Iranian flag at their embassy in London.
Iranian state television also said Monday that it complained about “certain terrorist organization that, under the guise of media, spread lies and promote violence and terrorism.” The United Kingdom is home to offices of the BBC’s Persian service and Iran International, both which long have been targeted by Iran.
A huge crowd of demonstrators, some waving the flag of Iran, gathered Sunday afternoon along Veteran Avenue in LA’s Westwood neighborhood to protest against the Iranian government. Police eventually issued a dispersal order, and by early evening only about a hundred protesters were still in the area, ABC7 reported.
Los Angeles is home to the largest Iranian community outside of Iran.
Los Angeles police responded Sunday after somebody drove a U-Haul box truck down a street crowded with the the demonstrators, causing protesters to scramble out of the way and then run after the speeding vehicle to try to attack the driver. A police statement said one person was hit by the truck but nobody was seriously hurt.
The driver, a man who was not identified, was detained “pending further investigation,” police said in a statement Sunday evening.
Protesters burn the Iranian national flag during a rally in support of the nationwide mass demonstrations in Iran against the government in Paris, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
