3 overreactions as Mavericks lose Anthony Davis to injury, fall to Warriors on Christmas

The Dallas Mavericks played in their sixth straight Christmas game on Thursday afternoon, traveling to face the Golden State Warriors, giving Klay Thompson a chance to play his former team on a big stage. It was Cooper Flagg's Christmas debut, and he was coming off a big performance against the Denver Nuggets. Could he follow it up against the Warriors?

Well, if I told you that neither Jimmy Butler nor Stephen Curry made a field goal in the first quarter, what would you expect the score to be? If you had the Warriors scoring 40 points and being up by 12, you'd be a winner, and probably a liar.

It was a pretty ugly start to the game, as the Warriors couldn't make a three, and the Mavericks weren't interested in taking them. The Warriors were really only interested in getting to the free-throw line, as they attempted 11 shots at the line in the first. But it was Al Horford who was the real difference-maker. He made four threes in the final four minutes, including three in the final 1:30. He had been dealing with sciatica and wasn't even guaranteed to play in this game, but he made a huge impact.

Dallas trimmed the lead to four in the opening minutes of the second as Naji Marshall scored three baskets in just over a minute, but then the three-point differential started to catch up to the Mavs. In the second quarter alone, the Warriors made five threes, while Dallas only attempted three and didn't make any of them.

Cooper Flagg didn't start getting involved until the end of the first half, as Anthony Davis left with an apparent growing/upper leg injury. But Flagg scored 8 points in a two-minute span to keep this from getting too out of hand. Even still, the Warriors entered the half with a 71-58 lead.

After halftime, it came out that Anthony Davis would miss the rest of the game with "right groin spasms." Naji Marshall helped spark a 7-0 run after the Warriors built the lead to 17 to cut the lead down to 10, and that's around where the lead would stay for the rest of the quarter. Golden State was getting to the rim at will in the quarter with Anthony Davis out, and they'd go into the fourth up 100-89.

Dallas started to chip away a little after Klay Thompson knocked down a mid-range shot, and Cooper Flagg got downhill to draw a goaltend (iffy) on a layup, which brought the lead down to 7. Then, Brandon Williams hit a basket in transition to cut the lead to five with less than seven minutes left.

With the game mostly bouncing around between six and eight points, Gary Payton II flushed home a dunk, and Steph Curry, who had mostly been quiet, hit a three to push the lead to 11. That would be enough to end it, as the Warriors would go on to win 126-116.

Cooper Flagg was great in his Christmas debut, finishing with a game-high 27 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists, shooting an efficient 13/21 from the floor. He was aided by Brandon Williams with an electric 26 points, but the Warriors had seven players in double figures. Stephen Curry had 23 points, but he was just 6/18 from the floor.

Here are three overreactions from this Christmas loss.

1. The Mavericks Can't Keep Anthony Davis

Dec 25, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Anthony Davis (3) reacts after suffering an injury during the second quarter against the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Anthony Davis had two really good games this week, having 35 points and 17 rebounds against the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday, then followed it up with 31 points and 9 rebounds against the Denver Nuggets on the second night of a back-to-back.

He was off to a horrific start in this game, going 1/4 in just under 11 minutes. Davis is always going to get hurt. That's why fans were pushing the team to trade him as soon as there was a presentable offer, as this threat was always going to be there. You can't keep him as your primary star and expect him to be available at this point.

2. Modernize the Offense, Or Continue to Suffer

Dec 22, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Dallas Mavericks Head Coach Jason Kidd looks on against the New Orleans Pelicans during the first half at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images | Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

The Dallas Mavericks have been one of the worst three-point teams in the NFL this year in both makes and attempts. And that was VERY apparent in this game, as they made just 4 threes while the Warriors made 14. Golden State had more than double as many three-point misses (36) as the Mavericks had attempts (14). They just don't have a lot of perimeter shooters; Klay Thompson and Max Christie can't be it. It's nice to have a lot of guys who can finish at the rim, but it's almost 2026; it's time to get some shooting.

3. Keep Brandon Williams in the Rotation

Dec 3, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Brandon Williams (10) dribbles during the first half against the Miami Heat at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Kyrie Irving could come back in a few weeks, and that will shuffle the point guard rotation, but Brandon Williams and Ryan Nembhard both deserve to stay in it. Williams was critical in this game. He had a play in the fourth quarter where he split the zone up top, then finished with a nice layup through traffic. His speed and athleticism are sorely needed in this lineup, even once Irving is back.

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