Christmas Day offered a familiar reminder of how dangerous the Warriors can look. Golden State didn’t shoot lights-out and didn’t dominate from the opening tip, but they stayed patient, trusted the pass, and gradually wore Dallas down. Stephen Curry, with 23 points, led the way as he got the better of a Cooper Flagg-led Mavericks that also featured an emotional return from Klay Thompson.
The 126-116 win pushed the Warriors back above .500 and felt less like a single-night surge and more like a snapshot of how this roster is built to win. It was sometimes messy but ultimately authoritative – a performance won by a team rather than one overwhelming star turn. Let’s go straight into the three major takeaways of the matchup.
1. Golden State’s Ball Movement Broke Dallas
The Warriors didn’t win this game by isolating or hunting mismatches. They won it by moving the ball until Dallas cracked. Golden State finished with 33 assists on 44 made field goals, nearly doubling Dallas’ 18 assists. That gap showed up most clearly in the second half, when the Mavericks struggled to keep up with constant cuts, dribble handoffs, and weak-side actions.
Stephen Curry had only four assists, but his off-ball gravity opened lanes for others. Jimmy Butler nearly posted a triple-double with 14 points, nine rebounds, and nine assists, while Brandin Podziemski added four assists off the bench. Even role players contributed – Gary Payton II handed out five assists in just 15 minutes, often turning broken plays into easy looks.
The result was consistent shot quality. Golden State attempted 99 shots to Dallas’ 89, largely because the Warriors created extra possessions through movement and offensive rebounding. While neither team shot particularly well from three, the Warriors’ ability to generate clean interior looks kept pressure on Dallas throughout the game.
2. Depth And Bench Production Tilted The Game
This wasn’t a win carried by a single lineup. Golden State leaned on its bench heavily, and the numbers reflect that trust. Warriors reserves combined for 77 points, compared to 66 from Dallas’ bench – but the impact went beyond raw scoring. The Warriors’ second unit consistently extended leads instead of merely holding ground.
De’Anthony Melton scored 16 points and added a steal and a block, Trayce Jackson-Davis went a perfect 5-of-6 from the field with 10 points, and Al Horford provided a massive jolt with 14 points on 4-of-6 shooting from three in just 11 minutes. That stretch flipped momentum early and forced Dallas to adjust rotations sooner than planned.
Golden State also dominated the glass when bench units were on the floor. The Warriors finished with 13 offensive rebounds to Dallas’ three, a staggering edge that led directly to extra scoring opportunities. Podziemski’s eight rebounds, along with Payton and Jackson-Davis crashing from the perimeter, kept possessions alive and slowly drained Dallas’ energy.
3. Stephen Curry Didn’t Need To Be Perfect
Curry’s stat line won’t be remembered as a classic, but his impact showed up in moments that mattered. He finished with 23 points on 6-of-18 shooting and struggled from deep (2-of-10), yet he went a flawless 9-of-9 at the free-throw line and knocked down a critical three with under four minutes left to stop Dallas’ final push.
More importantly, Curry never forced the game when the shot wasn’t falling. He stayed aggressive, attacking closeouts, drew fouls, and trusted teammates when defenses overcommitted. That restraint helped Golden State maintain offensive flow instead of stalling into isolation-heavy possessions.
Dallas, by contrast, leaned heavily on individual scoring. Cooper Flagg’s 27 points came on excellent efficiency, and Brandon Williams added 26 off the bench, but the Mavericks struggled to generate easy looks as a team. Golden State’s ability to stay composed, even during shooting lulls, ultimately separated them late.
