Cooper Flagg set for NBA Christmas Day debut as Mavericks travel to face Warriors

The Dallas Mavericks are set for one of the biggest days in the regular season: the annual Christmas Day games. Their matchup? The Golden State Warriors.

A year ago was the last time we saw Luka Doncic in a Mavericks uniform, as he went down with a calf strain against the Minnesota Timberwolves, and he'd be shockingly traded a few months later.

Dallas has a new star now, as first overall pick Cooper Flagg has been performing better than anyone could've expected. He's legitimately playing at an All-Star level, and he just turned 19 years old on Sunday.

Flagg is coming off a monster performance against the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday night, where he put up 33 points, 9 rebounds, and 9 assists on a really efficient 14/21 shooting. Over his last 11 games, he's averaging 25.1 PPG, 6.4 RPG, and 4.3 APG, and now the three-point shot is showing some signs of life. If that rounds into form, there will be no limit to how quickly he can develop.

Dec 23, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg (32) looks on during the second half against the Denver Nuggets at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Anthony Davis has also been really great this week. In back-to-back games against the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday and the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday, Davis was really productive, putting up 35 points and 17 rebounds against the Pels, and 31 points and 9 rebounds against Denver. It helps that he's been playing more minutes at center, but this is the Davis they need.

Meanwhile, things have been rocky with the Golden State Warriors. Stephen Curry is still Stephen Curry, as he's averaging 28.7 PPG and is still the world's greatest three-point shooter. But the supporting cast has been really up and down.

Jimmy Butler hasn't been as good as he was last year, and Draymond Green has really fallen off. Just this week, an odd situation happened as Draymond Green just went to the locker room after a blow-up with head coach Steve Kerr, and he'd end up sitting the rest of the game. Green is a fiery player, but this feels different.

Green has been very vocal about not wanting to play center anymore, as he doesn't have the size to keep up with a lot of them. They could be getting Al Horford back, which will help, but they may need to swing a trade for an actual center.