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‘It Was Special’: Cooper Flagg Shines On Christmas As Dallas Mavericks Lose Anthony Davis, Fall To Golden State Warriors

Grant AfsethDecember 25, 2025December 26, 2025

Cooper Flagg, Dallas Mavericks, NBA News, Golden tate Warriors

Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images

The Dallas Mavericks arrived at Chase Center hoping Christmas Day might provide a reset — a chance to stabilize a season defined by injuries, uneven road trips, and constant lineup shuffling.

Instead, the holiday delivered more of the same.

A slow start, a familiar injury scare involving Anthony Davis, and a numbers game Dallas could not win from beyond the arc culminated in a 126–116 loss to the Golden State Warriors on Thursday afternoon. It marked Dallas’ sixth straight Christmas appearance — and another one that ended without celebration.

The loss dropped the Mavericks to 12–20 and 3–11 on the road. Golden State, which has quietly found rhythm after an uneven start, won its third consecutive game to improve to 16–15 and 10–4 at home.

What lingered long after the final horn, however, was not the scoreline, but the sight of Davis walking gingerly to the locker room late in the second quarter.

Another Holiday, Another Injury for Anthony Davis

Davis’ exit came during a transition sequence that felt routine until it wasn’t. Sprinting the floor as Naji Marshall fired a long outlet pass, Davis slowed abruptly as the ball sailed out of bounds. He immediately reached toward his groin, veered left, and sat down on the Dallas bench.

After a brief evaluation by the training staff, Davis limped off the floor and headed straight to the locker room. He did not return and was ruled out at the start of the second half with right groin spasms.

The timing was difficult to ignore. One year earlier to the day, Davis exited Dallas’ Christmas loss at Chase Center with a left ankle injury. Last Christmas before that, Luka Dončić left early against Minnesota with a calf injury — the final game of his Mavericks tenure.

“It’s tough,” said Cooper Flagg, who was making his own Christmas debut. “Obviously, it’s really unfortunate for us. We’re a better team when he’s on the court, when he’s playing at his best. Obviously tough, but we got to have the next-man-up mentality and try and fill the hole as best we can.”

Davis finished with three points, three rebounds, and two blocks in just 11 minutes. Since returning from a calf injury earlier this month, he had been averaging 23.2 points and 12.8 rebounds, serving as the anchor for both Dallas’ interior defense and half-court offense.

After the game, Jason Kidd declined to offer an update.

“Losing AD definitely hurt,” Kidd said. “One of our best players goes out. But the next man up. I thought the guys fought, but we couldn’t get a stop when we needed to. It’s a good game for us to learn from.”

Early Hole Sets the Tone for the Dallas Mavericks

Dallas never fully recovered from the opening stretch. Golden State jumped out quickly, fueled by ball movement, pace, and an early rebounding edge. The Warriors led 40–28 after one quarter, a period that proved decisive given the Mavericks’ constant chase that followed.

Golden State missed its first six three-point attempts, but once Moses Moody connected midway through the quarter, the floor opened. The biggest surprise came shortly after, when Al Horford, playing his first game in seven contests due to right leg sciatica, checked in and immediately caught fire.

Horford drilled four consecutive three-pointers in a five-minute span, flipping the geometry of the floor and forcing Dallas into rotations it struggled to clean up.

Dallas faced challenges with protecting the paint and account for perimeter shooters.

“They’re a different team with their movement and cutting,” Flagg said about the Mavericks’ defense. “We’ve got to be better with communication and off-ball defense. It’s a different style, but we have to adjust.”

By halftime, Golden State held a 71–58 advantage. The Warriors had already attempted more threes than Dallas would take all game. The Mavericks went on to allow 100 points before the fourth quarter even began while facing an 11-point deficit. There is a collective sense that a productive film session before finishing the road trip can help tighten things up.

“Having each other’s backs. Teams are driving against us,” Williams said. “We’ve got to step up, and guards have to sink in and help the bigs. There’s a lot we’ll look at on film. We’ve got a good coaching staff, and we’ll be fine.”

Cooper Flagg Meets the Moment

If the loss reinforced familiar frustrations, it also showcased something new. Flagg delivered a poised, aggressive Christmas Day debut, finishing with 27 points on 13-of-21 shooting, six rebounds, and five assists. Once Davis exited, the rookie’s responsibility expanded immediately — and visibly.

Flagg scored 10 points in the second quarter, repeatedly attacking closeouts, operating out of pick-and-roll, and refusing to let the game drift away. He remained assertive after halftime, finishing nine of his first 13 shots and keeping Dallas within striking distance deep into the third quarter.

“He was great,” Kidd said. “Cooper is doing everything out of pick-and-roll — screening, passing, doing everything we’ve asked him to do. He might have been a little frustrated missing some free throws, but overall he’s playing at a very high level for us, and we need that.”

Historically, the performance placed Flagg in rare territory. He became the first rookie since Pete Maravich in 1970 to record at least 25 points, five rebounds, and five assists on Christmas Day, joining Maravich and Oscar Robertson as the only rookies ever to do so on the holiday.

“It was special,” Flagg said. “Growing up watching those games every year, getting the opportunity to play on Christmas Day knowing family back home is watching — it’s really special.”

Brandon Williams Sparks the Push, But the Math Never Flips

Dallas briefly made the game interesting during the middle of the third quarter, largely behind Brandon Williams. Williams caught fire, getting downhill repeatedly and scoring through contact on his way to a season-high 26 points off the bench.

“I thought Brandon was great,” Kidd said. “He was attacking, getting to the paint, finishing, passing, finding guys. His speed was big for us today.”

Williams credited spacing and trust.

“Using my teammates’ gravity,” Williams said. “Using Klay’s gravity, AD when he was out there, PJ — just taking what the defense gives me.”

The effort cut the deficit to single digits multiple times, and Dallas trimmed the lead to five midway through the fourth quarter. But every push was met with an answer — and the underlying numbers never shifted.

Dallas attempted just 14 three-pointers, making four. Golden State attempted 50 and made 14.

“If we’re not taking it, it’s not there,” Kidd said. “We took 14. I think we had five at halftime. They made 14. We took 14. When it’s twos versus threes, you’re going to lose those games a lot of the time.”

Threes, Stops, and the Margin That Never Closed

Even with the late push, the numbers never flipped. Dallas attempted just 14 three-pointers, making four. Golden State attempted 50 and made 14.

“We’re not taking it if it’s not there,” Kidd said. “We took 14. When it’s twos versus threes, you’re going to lose those games a lot of the time.”

Williams acknowledged the modern reality.

“Probably not,” he said when asked if 14 threes is enough in today’s NBA. “The way the game is played now, teams usually need more. But we’ve got to follow the game plan and play off that.”

The final blow came with 3:44 remaining, when Stephen Curry drilled a deep three to push the Warriors’ lead back to 11. The shot ended Dallas’ comeback bid and capped a 23-point night for Curry.

Stephen Curry Milestone, Klay Thompson Homecoming

Curry finished with 23 points and nine free throws, surpassing 26,000 career points in the process. His three-point shooting was modest by his standards (2-of-10), but the timing of his makes mattered.

“To score that many points, it’s just impressive,” Kidd said. “It seems like he’s not gonna slow down anytime soon.”

Across from him, Klay Thompson made his Christmas return to Chase Center in a Mavericks uniform. Thompson received a warm ovation when he checked in midway through the first quarter and later reflected on the moment.

“It was great. Really cool,” Thompson said. “Obviously wish we could’ve won, but it was awesome.”

Asked about Dallas’ low three-point volume, Thompson was candid.

“I don’t know exactly,” he said. “Probably more ball movement, more side-to-side action, more drive-and-kicks. Something like that.”

Fighting, But Short-Handed — Again

Dallas trailed by double figures for much of the second half, briefly trimming the deficit to single digits behind Williams’ scoring burst and Flagg’s continued aggression. The Mavericks’ effort never wavered, but the structural issues — rebounding, perimeter shooting, and interior defense without Davis — proved too much.

“We fought,” Kidd said. “The schedule hasn’t been in our favor. We started this trip on the East Coast and now we’re here in San Francisco. They got it down to six there for a second and we just weren’t able to rebound the ball.”

The Mavericks now move on to Sacramento on Saturday, still waiting on clarity regarding Davis’ health and still searching for continuity.

Christmas came and went. The answers Dallas needs remain elusive.

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Grant Afseth

Senior Writer

Grant Afseth is a Senior Writer for DallasHoopsJournal.com, where he leads in-depth coverage of the Mavericks, Wings, and more. Between a focus on the latest news, closer looks at games, front office strategy, and more, Afseth provides objective coverage. Afseth contributes broader NBA coverage across platforms and has been cited in national outlets for his reporting and analysis. With nearly a decade of journalism experience, Afseth has covered the NBA and WNBA for multiple major outlets, including Athlon Sports, BallIsLife, Sportskeeda, and RG.org. He previously reported on the Indiana Pacers for CNHI’s Kokomo Tribune and the Mavericks for FanNation.

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‘It Was Special’: Cooper Flagg Shines On Christmas As Dallas Mavericks Lose Anthony Davis, Fall To Golden State Warriors

Another Holiday, Another Injury for Anthony Davis