In a game where Golden State Warriors All-Star Stephen Curry reached his 26,000-point career milestone in a 126-116 Christmas Day win against the Dallas Mavericks, rookie Cooper Flagg made quite the first impression. While Curry has known Flagg personally after the NBA's top prospect participated in Steph's basketball camp, Thursday's matchup was the first time the Warriors have face the Mavericks this season.

After the win, Curry gave Flagg a rave review during his walk-off interview with NBA on ESPN's X, formerly Twitter.

“Just a true hooper. Competitor. You forget how young he is — just his presence out there on the court,” Curry said. “So, the future is bright. I'm glad he got this experience in his first year to understand what the bright lights feel like. The league is in good hands.”

Cooper Flagg scored a game-high 27 points on 13-of-21 shooting for the Mavericks. Brandon Williams, who scored 26 points off the bench. Starters Naji Marshall and PJ Washington both scored 14 points, and Max Christie added 13 points and six rebounds from the second unit.

However, Stephen Curry (23 points) and the Warriors managed to keep the Mavs at bay down the stretch. He led seven Warriors players in double figures, including Jimmy Butler III (14 points, nine rebounds, nine assists), who flirted with a triple-double, DeAnthony Melton (16 points) and Al Horford (14 points) led Golden State's bench production.

Stephen Curry hits 26,000 points in Warriors' Christmas game

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Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) gestures after a three-point basket by guard Brandin Podziemski (not shown) during the second quarter against the Dallas Mavericks at Chase Center
Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

While the return of Al Horford boosted the Warriors offense in a 10-point win against the Mavericks on Christmas Day, Stephen Curry made NBA history, joining the 26,000-point club. As Curry inches closer to 21st all-time in scoring, where Hall of Fame forward Kevin Garnett currently resides, he led a victory against the Mavericks for the Warriors' third consecutive win.

“26,000 CAREER POINTS FOR STEPH CURRY! The 22nd player in NBA history to reach that mark 🤩,” the NBA captioned a congratulatory social media post on X, formerly Twitter.

The Warriors will hit the road for a three-game road trip, starting against the Raptors on Sunday.