Cooper Flagg sets historic stat in Christmas Day Warriors game

The Dallas Mavericks‘ A Christmas trip to the Chase Center ended in a disappointing 126–116 loss to the Golden State Warriors. The loss dropped Dallas to 4-5 all-time on Christmas Day and 12-20 on the season.

Loss aside, rookie Cooper Flagg had a night to remembermaking history with his stats of 27 points, six rebounds, five assists and a block in 36 minutes. He shot efficiently, finishing 13 of 21 from the field (67%) and committing just one turnover. With that, Flagg became the first newcomer since Pete Maravich in 1970 to record at least 25 points, five rebounds and five assists in a game on Christmas Day. In all, only Maravich and Oscar Robertson have previously accomplished that combination as rookies on the holiday. Flagg also became the youngest player to appear on Christmas Day since LeBron James in 2003 and the fourth youngest player to play on that date.

The Mavericks leaned on Flagg after that Anthony Davis exited early in the second quarter with right groin spasms and he didn’t come back. Davis finished with three points and three rebounds on 1-for-4 shooting and 1-for-4 from the free throw line in just under 11 minutes. His early departure meant Dallas had to count on its perimeter stars and bench players to carry the load. Flagg responded by scoring 10 points in the second quarter alone and eight points in a two-minute stretch late in the first half to keep the deficit manageable.

Brandon Williams provided some much-needed energy, scoring a season-high 26 points on 9-of-12 shooting. Naji Marshall scored 14 points, including a pair of baskets during the Mavericks’ brief second-quarter push, and PJ Washington also finished with 14. For all those contributions, the Mavericks couldn’t make it from long range, hitting just four of 14 three-point attempts as Golden State drained 14, and that margin pretty much decided it.

The Warriors posted seven players in double figures and were led by Stephen Curry’s 23 points. Playing in his 12th game on Christmas Day, Curry also surpassed the 26,000-point mark for his career. Al Horford, back after missing seven games with right sciatica irritation, got the ball rolling in the first quarter by hitting four straight 3-pointers in five minutes to help Golden State build a 40–28 lead after one.

Against his former team, Klay Thompson scored seven points off the bench, while Max Christie had 13 points and six rebounds for Dallas after returning from illness.

The Mavericks cut a 17-point deficit to five midway through the fourth quarter, but Curry’s 26-foot 3-pointer restored an 11-point cushion and put the nail in the coffin.

Next, Dallas faces the Sacramento Kings on Saturday and the Warriors play the Toronto Raptors.