The Golden State Warriors defeated the Dallas Mavericks 126-116 on Christmas. For Stephen Curry, it was his fifth win on Christmas and his 12th overall game on the holiday.
After the game against Dallas, Curry had high praise for Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg. “Just a true hooper, competitor, you forget how young he is,” Curry said about Flagg. “The future is bright, I’m glad he got this experience his first year and understand what the bright lights feel like. The league is in good hands.”
In his Christmas Day debut, Flagg finished with a game-high 27 points shooting 13-for-21 from the field. He also had six rebounds and five assists. Flagg answered the call on a national stage in his rookie game on Christmas and he’s getting the stamp from approval from other superstars across the league.
Stephen Curry Calling Cooper Flagg a “True Hooper”
During the post game interview, Curry did not hold back and called Flagg a “true hooper” and for good reason. Flagg had a slow start to the game only scoring two points in the first quarter, but picked things up after. He joined LeBron James as the only teenagers in NBA history to score at least 25 points on Christmas.
The 19-year-old also made history becoming the first rookie to have a 25-5-5 performance on Christmas Day since Pete Maravich in 1970. As a rookie, Flagg is averaging 19.4 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game through 31 games. He is second on the team in scoring and third in rebounding. Flagg is showing why he was the No. 1 pick in the 2025 draft.
Dallas took on the Denver Nuggets two days before Christmas and Flagg put together a dominating performance in the win over Denver. He nearly finished with a triple-double finishing with a game-high 33 points and adding nine rebounds and nine assists. Flagg also made a season-high four three’s and it was evident that his performance helped Dallas secure the 131-130 win.
There is a lot of maturity in Flagg’s game and he is comfortable with the ball in his hands and making reads on the offensive side of the ball. Dallas head coach Jason Kidd talked about Flagg during the post game after the Warriors game.
“Aggressiveness after it was great. Cooper’s doing everything off pick and roll… he was a little frustrated that he missed some free throws, but overall he’s playing at a very high level for us and we need that,” Kidd said.
Stephen Curry Knew of Cooper Flagg When He Was in High School
In high school, Flagg was the No. 1 recruit coming out of the class of 2024. He was named Gatorade National Player of the Year and was a McDonald’s All-American.
Flagg attended Curry’s elite camp in 2023 and impressed many who were there. He did not shy away from the big stage at all. The camp featured other top high school recruits and even Curry participated in scrimmages during the camp.
Flagg has had the spotlight on him since high school and he continues to show why he is a talented individual.
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