NBA Christmas Day preview
From Thunder–Spurs to Wolves–Nuggets and Knicks–Cavs, which NBA Christmas Day matchup are you most looking forward to?
Former championship-winning teammates will once again reunite in the San Francisco Bay Area during the NBA’s slate of Christmas Day games.
Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and the Golden State Warriors will welcome Klay Thompson and the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday, Dec. 25 as part of the league’s annual five-game Christmas Day schedule. It will be the first time since 2018 that all three suited up on the same court and played on Christmas Day together. Now, they’ll meet as rivals seven years later.
It’s the Warriors first matchup of the season against the Mavericks (12-19), who are coming off of a 131-130 win against the Denver Nuggets on Dec. 23 behind a game-high 33 points from rookie standout Cooper Flagg. He averages 19.2 points and 6.4 rebounds per game – second amongst first-year players in both categories – and sits atop the USA TODAY NBA rookie rankings. Dallas is led by center Anthony Davis, who averages a team-high 21.7 points, 11.4 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game.
This Christmas game for Curry is the 12th of his career. He tied the record with James Harden for most three pointers made in a Christmas game, hitting eight in 2024 against the Los Angeles Lakers. He also set the record for most points (17) in the fourth quarter on Christmas.
Golden State (15-15) enters the holiday jamboree winners of back-to-back games vs. the Orlando Magic and Phoenix Suns. They look to go above .500 for the first time since Dec. 7 and finish the remainder of the strong.
Here’s how to watch the NBA’s Christmas Day game between the Golden State Warriors and Dallas Mavericks:
The Warriors bench continued to show up. Key contributions and hustle plays from De’Anthony Melton and Will Richard have helped Golden State maintain a double-digit lead heading into the fourth quarter.
Through three quarters, Melton has been a +20, putting his fingerprints on the game. Jimmy Butler has found teammates all game, dishing out nine assists. He also added 12 points.
Steph Curry scored his 26,000th point on a made layup after a pass from Jimmy Butler with 11:29 left in the third quarter.
Curry is No. 22 all-time on the NBA scoring list behind basketball Hall of Famer Kevin Garnett (26,071). Â
The Warriors were led by Moses Moody and Al Horford with 12 points, each. Steph Curry had 10 points in the first half, while Jimmy Butler and Brandin Podziemski chipped in with eight and seven points, respectively.
As a team Golden State has shared the rock with a total of 18 assists.
Dallas was led by Cooper Flagg and Naji Marshall, who socred 12 points apiece in the first half. Brandon Williams and Max Christie combined for 15 points in the first half.
Dallas opened the quarter on an 8-0 run before it was ended by a Draymond Green corner three with under 9 minutes to go.
The Warriors turned up their defensive intensity and increased their offensive tempo to extend their lead. They received a huge boost from the second group as they scored 32 bench points in the first half.
Golden State has been attacking the offensive glass for second chance opportunities, and they’ve outscored the Mavericks 14-2 in that column.
Rookie Cooper Flagg came alive in the second quarter for Dallas, scoring 10 of his 12 in the period.
Steph Curry made a left-hand layup at the end of the quarter to give him 10 points in the first half. He’s two points shy of reaching 26,000 total career points.
Mavericks center Anthony Davis went back to the locker room with an apparent injury early in the second quarter with about 8:50 remaining. He was seen on the bench stretching his legs and groin area before heading to the tunnel.
The good news is that he walked on his own. The bad news is he did not start the second half in the game. He did not return to the game with “right groin spasms”.
He ended the night three points, three rebounds, two blocks and a steal in just under 11 minutes.
The Warriors ended the first quarter with a 40-28 lead behind 12 points from center Al Horford, who was a perfect 4-for-4 shooting from deep to lead Golden State after 12 minutes.
Horford checked into the game for the first time since Dec. 4. The 39-year-old signed a multiyear deal with the Warriors before the season started in September.
Klay Thompson entered the game for the Mavericks from the bench, and the former Warrior received a loud cheer from the Bay Area crowd at Chase Center.
What time is Warriors vs. Mavericks Christmas game today?
The Golden State Warriors will host the Dallas Mavericks in one of five NBA on Christmas games on Thursday, Dec. 25 at 5 p.m. ET (2 p.m. local). The game will take place at the Chase Center in San Francisco.
Watch NBA Christmas games with Fubo
How to watch Warriors vs. Mavericks NBA Christmas game: TV, live streaming
The game between the Golden State Warriors and Dallas Mavericks will be broadcast nationally on ABC and ESPN and can be live streamed on Fubo.
Date: Dec. 25, 2025Time: 5 p.m. ET (2 p.m. local)Location: Chase Center (San Francisco)TV: ABC, ESPNStreaming: ESPN Unlimited, FuboMavericks vs. Warriors odds
The Golden State Warriors are favored against the Dallas Mavericks according to DraftKings odds as of afternoon of Dec. 25.
Line:Â Warriors -8.5Over/under:Â 230.5
USA TODAY NBA experts pick the winner of today’s game:
Scooby Axson:Â Mavericks 115, Warriors 110Mark Giannotto:Â Mavericks 120, Warriors 118Jon Hoefling:Â Warriors 125, Mavericks 123Lorenzo Reyes:Â Mavericks 106, Warriors 98James Williams:Â Warriors 115, Mavericks 113
As the Warriors look within themselves after 30 games of basketball and a 15-15 record, head coach Steve Kerr isn’t proud of the way the team has played to this point but said he believes their best basketball is yet to come.
“We’re heading in the right direction,” Kerr told USA TODAY Sports. “Obviously we’re disappointed in our record. We’re 6-10 in clutch games. This league is really about winning close games especially where we are right now. I think we’re a good team but I think we have the potential to be an excellent team.”
Kerr eluded to this core in 2025-26 being different from the teams in the past that have won championships, most recently in 2022. In order for this team to win down the stretch and make a postseason run, Kerr said the team has to find ways to win close games.
“We are in a spot now where we’re going to play close game after close game and we’ve got to finish the game. We just haven’t’ done that,” he said. “A little bit of bad luck but also plenty of execution issues, coaching things that I regret so you throw all that into the mix, we’re 15-15 for a reason.”
After spending the first 11 years of his career in the San Francisco Bay Area, it’s still pretty weird for Thompson to return to the place where he’s won four championships, as the opposition.
Thompson was well-received by the fans in San Francisco when he took the floor before the game. Thompson and Curry, the duo known as the “Splash Brothers” shared a handshake and hug at halfcourt during the pregame shootaround.
Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd understands the emotion and hopes to get the version of Thompson that became highly regarded as one of the greatest shooters in NBA history.
“I think that last one here was an emotional one for him. And so for this one, it’s still gonna be emotional because he’s had a lot of great memories here,” Kidd said. “I think he took the boat out, and so hopefully the basket’s big for him this afternoon and he makes every shot.”
He added: “I think for him, it’s just the energy, the thought process, and everything that he’s done here, and getting to basketball. And he’s very comfortable when it comes to basketball. So we just need him to be Klay for us tonight.”
Thompson has relished in his role as a reserve, a key contributor for Dallas off the bench. In his last game against the New Orleans Pelicans, he scored 20 points. He missed the previous two games due to illness.
“I think for Klay, coming off the bench has been great,” Kidd said. “He’s playing his role at a very high level for us. Being able to anchor that second group, being able to get shots for him, and then just his voice, not just on the bench or in the locker room, but also on the floor. For our young players, he’s been great.”