SAN FRANCISCO — The only gift Cooper Flagg and the rest of the Mavericks wanted for his Christmas Day debut was to leave Chase Center with a win over the Golden State Warriors.
It was equally as important to Klay Thompson, who returned from a one-game absence Thursday to play against his former team in the Mavericks’ lone visit to The Bay area this season.
That Christmas wish was denied.
The Mavericks suffered a 126-116 loss on the NBA’s most anticipated day of the regular season. Dallas (12-20) dropped to 4-5 all-time when playing on Christmas Day.
Mavericks
“We fought,” said Mavericks coach Jason Kidd. “The schedule hasn’t been in our favor. We started this trip on the East Coast and now we’re in San Francisco. They got it down to six there for a second and we just weren’t able to rebound the ball.”
Flagg finished with 27 points, six rebounds and four assists to lead the Mavericks. His co-star wasn’t Anthony Davis this time around, but Brandon Williams, who scored a season-high 26 points off the bench.
Williams was relied upon so heavily because Davis suffered another injury that places uncertainty around his availability for the final two games of the calendar year.
Dallas experienced déjà vu from last Christmas early in the second quarter when Davis checked himself out of the game with right groin spasms. The Mavericks big man received treatment on the bench for a few minutes before he limped to the locker room. His diagnosis of a groin injury was announced shortly after the third quarter began. Kidd did not provide an update on Davis’ status after the game.
“Losing AD definitely hurt when one of our best players goes out, but the next man up and I thought the guys fought,” Kidd said.
Dallas Mavericks forward Anthony Davis, center, Golden State Warriors center Al Horford, left, and guard Will Richard, right, reach for a loose ball during the first half of an NBA basketball game Thursday, Dec. 25, 2025, in San Francisco.
Eakin Howard / AP
Once Davis went down, Flagg upped the intensity and scored 10 of his team-high 27 points in the second quarter. Naji Marshall had 12 points in that period and finished with 14 points, often getting to the basket to score his signature floater. Williams led the bench with a season-high thanks to his ability to get downhill and to the free throw line.
However, it was hard to replace Davis’ production on both ends of the floor. The Mavericks were bested by the Warriors in every major area of the floor except blocks. Golden State held the edge in rebounding, assists, free throws and especially from beyond the arc. Dallas only made four of its 14 attempts from behind the 3-point line.
The Mavericks trailed by as many as 17, but made the game interesting by cutting the deficit to five nearly halfway through the fourth quarter. Their comeback efforts to achieve a Christmas miracle fell short once Stephen Curry drilled a 26-foot 3-pointer to give the Warriors an 11-point lead.
Despite the loss, Flagg achieved another milestone as he became the youngest player in NBA history to play on Christmas Day since LeBron James in 2003. He was the fourth youngest player overall to play on the holiday.
He also became the first rookie to have at least 25 points, five rebounds and five assists on Christmas Day since Pete Maravich in 1970 and joined Maravich and Oscar Robertson overall as the only rookies to do so on Christmas.
Flagg’s holiday debut coincided with Curry’s 12th appearance on Christmas Day. Last season, Curry tied a single-game Christmas record with eight 3-pointers. The Warriors star, who’s currently a sneaker free agent, wore Thompson’s signature ANTA shoes and finished with 23 points. He also eclipsed a milestone by achieving 26,000 career points.
“To score that many points, it’s just impressive,” Kidd said. “It seems like he’s not gonna slow down anytime soon.”
Thompson was greeted with a warm round of applause when he checked into the game midway through the first quarter. He finished with seven points off the bench. Max Christie, who returned from a two-game absence with an illness, added 13 points and six rebounds.
Warriors center Al Horford, who missed the last seven games with right sciatica nerve irritation, made a profound statement during his first five-minute stint to end the first quarter. The veteran big man connected on half of Curry’s Christmas Day record when he knocked down four consecutive 3-pointers in that span. It was an unexpected present for the Warriors, who made 14 triples to the Mavericks’ four.
The Mavericks were dressed for the occasion, wearing their green Hardwood Classic edition uniforms that honor the 1980s teams.
As for the past, it was just a year ago to date when Luka Doncic appeared in his final game as a member of the Mavericks. He was also injured in the second quarter of the team’s loss to Minnesota by suffering a left calf strain. A little more than a month later, Doncic was surprisingly traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Davis.
While it’s unclear how much time Davis will miss, if any, his latest injury is just a reminder of how unlucky he and the rest of the Mavericks have been with staying healthy since his arrival.
On Twitter/X: @MikeACurtis2
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