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The Knicks trailed by 17 points with about 10 minutes left in the game and found a way to complete their biggest comeback of the season, beating the Cleveland Cavaliers on Christmas Day, 126-124.

Here are the takeaways...

-- Karl-Anthony Towns picked up two fouls within the first three minutes of the game, forcing head coach Mike Brown to call timeout with the team down 5-0. Mitchell Robinson came in for Towns and then OG Anunoby, back after missing Tuesday's loss, got New York on the board with an and-one layup. In the blink of an eye, the Cavs built an 18-3 lead as Donovan Mitchell made four of his first five shots while the Knicks as a whole missed 14 of their first 16 shots.

Jalen Brunson nailed a wing three and completed the four-point play to wake the team up. Jordan Clarkson and Mohamed Diawara helped out, both hitting three-pointers to cut the Cleveland lead down to six points. Brunson stayed in a groove and scored with under 30 seconds left on a scoop layup, but De'Andre Hunter hit a three of his own with the clock winding down to give the Cavs a 38-23 lead at the end of the first quarter.

-- Cleveland shot a ridiculous 68 percent from the field and 55 percent from three (6-for-11) in the first quarter, while New York struggled at just 38 percent from the field and 25 percent from deep (3-for-12). 

-- Clarkson opened the second quarter with two quick three-pointers, getting the Garden crowd on their feet and forcing a Cavs timeout. The Knicks rode the momentum and went on a 15-3 run to cut the Cleveland lead down to three points, 41-38. Mikal Bridges hit back-to-back jumpers to give New York their first lead of the game and Towns kept it going, extending their 18-0 run to make it a 47-41 game midway through the second quarter.

-- Evan Mobley, playing in his first game since Dec. 12, began to find his footing and scored eight straight points for the Cavs to keep it a close game. Brunson connected on another four-point play and then Josh Hart's three-pointer with 32.8 seconds left put the Knicks up 60-58 heading into halftime. 

New York outscored Cleveland, 37-20, in the second quarter thanks to making seven three-pointers. Brunson and Clarkson each scored 14 points in the first half.

-- The Cavs came out of the locker room hot, going on a 10-3 run capped off by Darius Garland delivering a gift-wrapped pass to Mitchell from halfcourt for the alley-oop jam. Hart tied the game at 71-71 with a three-pointer, but the Cavs went on another run as Jaylon Tyson scored six straight points to make it an 86-73 game with 3:30 remaining in the third quarter. Tyson kept it going with a three-pointer and a dunk to give him 11 points in the quarter.

Cleveland nearly duplicated their first quarter, outscoring New York 38-24 and building a 96-84 lead going into the fourth.

-- The game looked to be getting out of hand for the Knicks, down 103-86, but the team somehow flipped it around after Hart left with an ankle injury (down 107-95). Clarkson, Tyler Kolek, and Brunson all caught fire as the captain tied it up at 113-113 with a three-pointer. 

Brunson made another clutch three to put New York up two points and then Towns charged in to score on a tip-in to make it a 123-119 game. Mitchell rocked the rim with a huge dunk, but Anunoby came right back with his own to push the lead to back to four points. Mitchell hit a crazy three-pointer to keep Cleveland alive before Towns iced the game with a free throw.

-- New York outscored Cleveland 42-28 in the fourth quarter. Brunson finished with a team-high 34 points and made six threes, while Clarkson dropped 25 points off the bench with five three-pointers. Robinson had another monster performance on the glass, grabbing 13 rebounds off the bench, including eight offensive boards. Mitchell led the Cavs with 34 points of his own and Garland chipped in 20 points and 10 assists.

Game MVP: Tyler Kolek

Kolek was a burst of energy in the fourth quarter after Hart rolled his ankle. The guard scored 11 points with three three-pointers in the fourth quarter and finished the game with 16 points, nine assists, three rebounds, and a block. He was a plus-24 off the bench.

Highlights

The Knicks take the lead! pic.twitter.com/Ud34YpSxJM

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) December 25, 2025

Tyler, the Kreator 😮‍💨 pic.twitter.com/maQu1U1iFB

— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) December 25, 2025

MOTION.

TYLER KOLEK. pic.twitter.com/mRyyYLaWkL

— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) December 25, 2025

What's next

The Knicks will travel to Atlanta to face the Hawks on Saturday, Dec. 27 at 8:00 p.m.

Knicks wing Josh Hart suffered an ankle injury midway through the fourth quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday and left for the locker room.

Hart was driving down the lane in transition and stepped on an opposing player's foot going for a layup, appearing to roll his ankle.

Despite being in clear pain, he stayed in to shoot two free throws and made both. 

Hart then limped to the locker room and was subbed out for Tyler Kolek.

New York trailed 107-95 with 7:43 remaining in the game.

This is a developing story and will be updated...

Warriors exhibit quick recovery from Draymond-Steve Kerr spat in Christmas win originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO – It’s natural after any earthquake to anticipate aftershocks, which is why it was fair to wonder how the Warriors would function after the tremor created by Draymond Green and coach Steve Kerr on Monday.

The Warriors, to a man, expressed zero concerns about any lingering effect. And if Thursday’s performance is any indication, their projection is reality.

Their 126-116 victory over the Dallas Mavericks was generated for the most part by a 71-point first half featuring classic Golden State offense, as drawn up by Kerr. The Warriors shared the ball like newlyweds sharing wedding cake at a reception, and, moreover, seemed to enjoy seeing everybody eat.

Nobody more than Jimmy Butler III, Stephen Curry, Green and Kerr.

“We’ve always been a ball movement team,” Kerr said after a season-high-tying third straight victory. “Steph off the ball is so powerful, and Jimmy loves to pass; Jimmy would prefer to get an assist than a basket. We saw tonight, nine assists and 14 points. He loves that kind of game. Draymond is such good passer.”

The Warriors recorded 33 assists, their highest total in seven weeks, one off their season high, and a sharp contrast to the 21 they averaged over the previous three games and the 22.5 they averaged over the previous 10. Six Warriors recorded at least three assists. Eleven Warriors played, and all 11 scored.

Most impressive, perhaps, is that Golden State gave the Mavericks a grand total of . . . drum roll . . . six points off turnovers.

Kerr and Butler have been saying for weeks that such cohesion is possible with this roster. And there it was, on full display on Christmas Day.

“It was clicking tonight,” Butler said. “We were moving the ball at an incredible pace, finding guys. Sometimes it may look a little bit too unselfish, because we [will pass up] layups, myself included, but we all love to see everybody else shine, so it’s a good problem.”

There were some deficiencies, the most obvious being Golden State’s 28-percent shooting from distance and its defense being ravaged for 72 points in the paint while Dallas shot 55.1 percent from the field.

But the Warriors more than offset that with teamwork and effort. There was plenty of dapping and back-slapping, first quarter to fourth. There was Green bouncing off the bench, each knee wrapped in about 15 pounds of ice bags, to coach up teammates during stoppages.

To the naked eye, Golden State’s esprit de corps channeled a very quick recovery from the heated squabble between Kerr and Green.

The Warriors often struggle early in games, but not on this day. With Al Horford returning after a nine-game absence to ring up 12 points on 4-of-4 shooting from deep, they put up 40 points in the first quarter, taking a 12-point lead into the second. Golden State maintained a lead until the final buzzer.

Green didn’t particularly stand out, playing 28 minutes, finishing with seven points, five rebounds, three assists and two turnovers. His presence, however, was felt by his teammates and by Kerr. There was not the slightest hint of animosity.

“They’re in a better place,” Curry said. “But I was [at the podium Monday] talking about it, how they’re really professional and how they handled it. And that’s how they handled it, and how we handled it as a team.

“Stuff like that happens. They have the equity of years and years of relationship that has had its moments as professionals as you are, you come back and you approach the next day with a fresh start, and they handled yesterday and practice well. We responded well as a team.”

The next test will come on the road, as the Warriors leave Friday for a three-game swing through the Eastern Conference, beginning Sunday at the Toronto Raptors. Can they push their streak to a season high? Will Kerr and Green simply resume the relationship they’ve always had?

“That’s just part of the game,” Butler said, recalling the spat. “When you’ve been together for so long, y’all gonna have arguments. It ain’t gonna be quiet all the time. It’s OK. You’ve got two fierce competitors that have won it together and that want to continually win. We know what it is. And if you were looking at me, I’m just looking up, like, all right. I expect that to happen. That’s okay. We move on from it.”

That’s how it looked on Christmas. But eyes hungry for spectacle will be following the Warriors as they proceed.

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Steph Curry still fueled by climb after hitting ‘special' 26K-point milestone originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Steph Curry surpassed another impressive round number in the Warriors’ 126-116 Christmas Day win over the Dallas Mavericks at Chase Center.

With the 12th point of his team-high 23 on Thursday, Curry reached 26,000 career points, making him just the 22nd NBA player ever to reach that threshold.

Curry, who has made it clear he sees everything, told reporters after the win that he wasn’t aware that he was close to the milestone.

“No, I didn’t know going into it, which is great because those things take care of themselves,” Curry said. “The more you play, the more opportunity you get out there. And it is a special milestone for sure, just, 22 guys in the history of the league.

“You look up and you know there are some other active players still doing it, still climbing the ladder and I’m happy to be a part of that chase to see how far I can get up there.”

After Thursday’s performance, Curry sits at 26,013 career points. Sacramento Kings wing DeMar DeRozan is close behind Curry and should reach the 26,000-point club in the next four or five games.

Next on the NBA’s all-time points list is Hall of Famer Kevin Garnett, who sits at 26,071, which means Curry should pass him sometime next week.

The active players ahead of Curry are Kings guard Russell Westbrook (26,638 points), Los Angeles Clippers guard James Harden (28,388) and Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant (31,201 entering Thursday’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers).

Whenever Curry reaches 27,000 career points, he will be the 14th or 15th player to get there, depending on whether Westbrook beats him there.

Only 11 players have scored at least 28,000 points and only eight have gotten to 30,000 points.

No one, not even Curry, knows how much time he has left. But he’s still playing at an elite level, so 4,000 more points isn’t out of the question.

But wherever Curry finishes, he has cemented himself as one of the NBA’s all-time greatest scorers.

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Steph Curry shares how playing Klay Thompson puts NBA journey into perspective originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Christmas Day wasn’t Klay Thompson’s first time playing at Chase Center as a member of the Dallas Mavericks, but each time the Warriors legend returns is a special occasion for Dub Nation and his former teammates.

That admiration was on display during a moment in warmups, hours before Golden State’s eventual 126-116 win Thursday, when the ex-Warriors guard and Steph Curry met up for a pregame handshake — an interaction that elicited cheers from the Bay Area crowd.

The moment wasn’t lost on Curry, who won four NBA championships with his fellow Splash Bro over the course of 13 years before Thompson departed for the Mavericks in a sign-and-trade following the 2023-24 season.

“Yeah, [Warriors fans] don’t miss a thing for sure, especially the Splash Bros out there,” Curry told reporters after the game. “Very sentimental moment, I’m sure, any time we’re in the same space, Draymond [Green] included, so that was cool, for sure.”

The reunion came just one day after Warriors coach Steve Kerr admitted Golden State is a “fading dynasty.” Both Curry and Thompson were key to those golden days, but facing each other on different teams at ages 37 and 35, respectively, certainly puts things into perspective for the Warriors point guard.

But Curry knows both he and Thompson still are capable of accomplishing more, no matter how quickly Father Time is ticking.

“It will never be normal, you know, seeing [Thompson] somewhere else, but it’s also — we’re all trying to deal with the here and now,” Curry said. “And we’re such competitors that no matter what position you’re in or situation you’re in with your teams, you still feel like you can win and you have a lot to accomplish. So, it’s a great reminder of the journey, but you don’t really put too much extra emphasis on it.

“That time will come down the road.”

There’s no saying for sure when Curry or Thompson will hang up their sneakers. But the memories they’ve made together — and the memories Dub Nation has made watching them play with and now against each other — certainly will live on forever.

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Steve Kerr misses Klay Thompson, wishes Splash Brother still was on the Warriors originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The Warriors’ core, which won four NBA championships in eight seasons, is family.

Which made Klay Thompson’s discontent and subsequent departure two years ago all that much harder.

But more than a full season removed from Thompson leaving the Warriors for the Dallas Mavericks, the bitterness seems to have dissipated and given way to nostalgia.

Following the Warriors’ 126-116 Christmas Day win over the Mavericks, coach Steve Kerr was asked if he has gotten used to seeing Thompson on the other side, as an opponent.

“No,” Kerr told reporters at Chase Center. “I’ll never get used to seeing Klay on the other side. I miss Klay. Wish he was still here.”

Kerr’s comments echo what Steph Curry told ESPN’s Anthony Slater and Tim MacMahon in the lead-up to Thursday’s game between the Warriors and Mavericks.

“I wish he was still here,” Curry told Slater and MacMahon.

As much as Kerr and Curry miss Thompson, that page has been turned, at least for the moment.

Thompson has one more guaranteed year left on his three-year, $50 million contract with the Mavericks. But the team he joined before last season is completely different, and his role has changed as well. He’s no longer a starter, having been relegated to the bench unit.

Thompson picked the Mavericks over the Los Angeles Lakers because he wanted to play with Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving. But Doncic was traded to the Lakers for Anthony Davis and Irving is recovering from a torn ACL.

Two years removed from the NBA Finals, the Mavericks, who are building around No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg, are a borderline Western Conference play-in team this season.

That could open the door for the Mavericks to move Thompson to a contender before the NBA’s Feb. 5 trade deadline.

The Warriors believe they have the pieces to contend in the West, but they have yet to consistently show it. Thursday’s win pushes their record to 16-15.

So a return to the Warriors might not be the move Thompson is looking for, if he wants out of Dallas at all.

But Curry and Thompson didn’t shut the door on it when talking to Slater and MacMahon.

“I don’t know,” Thompson told Slater and MacMahon when asked if playing one final season with the Warriors was possible. “That’s a long ways away, man. That’s a lot of basketball to be had. I don’t know what the future holds.”

“It would be unbelievable,” Curry told Slater and MacMahon of a possible reunion. “If that time comes and that conversation is had, of course I’m calling him and saying, ‘We want you back.’ And hopefully that would be a welcome message to him. But as we stand right now, that does seem like a far distant reality. But so did him leaving.”

Curry and Kerr have publicly stated they miss Thompson in the Bay. That doesn’t mean the four-time NBA champion will come back someday.

But it at least plants the seed.

In today’s NBA, anything is possible.

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What we learned as Steph Curry, Warriors outlast Klay, Mavs in Christmas Day win originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

BOX SCORE

SAN FRANCISCO – Cheer and joy had no place for drama and coal when it came to the Warriors on Christmas this year.

Though the game wasn’t stylistically a thing of beauty, the Warriors outlasted the Dallas Mavericks 126-116 on Thursday for their third straight win, giving Golden State (16-15) its second three-game win streak of the season.

Steph Curry never got going, yet still led the Warriors with 23 points. Nobody else on the Warriors reached 20 points, but six others scored in double figures.

No. 1 draft pick Cooper Flagg scored a game-high 27 points in his first career contest against the Warriors. Franchise legend Klay Thompson struggled shooting and scored a lowly seven points off the bench for the Mavs. Thompson went 3 of 8 from the field and made one of his four 3-pointers in 26 minutes. 

The Warriors shot an ugly 28 percent from 3-point range themselves but still had a 30-point advantage on threes over the Mavs. 

Here are three takeaways from the Warriors’ third straight win.

Draymond’s Christmas Response

Promises were made in the aftermath of Monday’s incident that the argument between Draymond Green and coach Steve Kerr during a third-quarter timeout would not linger. The two apologized to each other, as well as the team, and turned the page.

Kerr also made it clear that the past has shown he expected the best version of Green in the next game, which just so happened to fall on Christmas in front of a national audience. 

The response by Green and his Golden State teammates had them walking the walk after talking the talk. Nobody seemed fazed by a frustrating scene a few days prior, including Green. He played spectacular defense on Anthony Davis before the often-injured big man’s day ended early. 

Davis, in just under 11 minutes, scored just three points and was 1 of 4 from the field. 

As for Green, he gave the Warriors seven points, five rebounds, three assists and two turnovers, and was a team-low minus-9. He went to the bench at the 8:46 mark of the fourth quarter with five fouls and returned for the final four minutes and 37 seconds. The Warriors outscored the Mavs by four points down the stretch with him back on the court.

Focus and composure weren’t a problem for Green after two straight games of letting his emotions take over in the worst ways.

Good Enough Group Effort

It was one year ago when the Warriors wasted Curry’s Christmas heroics of 38 points and eight 3-pointers in a heartbreaking last-second loss against the Los Angeles Lakers. Curry this year was much closer to how he typically fares on Christmas. 

The holiday hasn’t always been kind to Curry. Coming into Curry’s 12th Christmas game, he has only averaged 17.6 points on 35.1 percent shooting with a 28.0 3-point percentage. Curry couldn’t find his 3-point shot (2 of 10), opting instead to convert a few layups and made all nine of his free throws.

Jimmy Butler didn’t go on a scoring spree and still was what Curry and the Warriors needed. Doing it all, Butler just missed a triple-double with 14 points, nine rebounds and nine assists. Butler was a plus-14.

Warriors reserves scored 64 points, 10 more than the Mavs’ bench, and featured four players who ended with 10 or more points. Every bench player had a positive plus/minus, led by De’Anthony Melton’s 16 points as a plus-19. Those around Curry picked him up, and there still will be corrections to be made from film.

You Can Call Him Al

Truth be told, everybody reaches an age where their body needs a break. Al Horford, at 39 years old, is firmly entrenched in that club. Between a sciatic nerve irritation issue and missing a few days for an excused personal reason, Horford hadn’t played in the Warriors’ last seven games over a three-week stretch going into Thursday. 

That long of a break apparently is exactly what Horford needed to deliver the kind of player the Warriors always expected after signing the five-time All-Star center. The Warriors struggled shooting the ball to begin the game, missing their first six 3-point attempts. Then Horford got off the bench for the first time since Dec. 4 and brought the goods. 

Horford, in the final three minutes and 43 seconds of the first quarter, let it fly from deep four times, connecting on all four. The Warriors went from leading by two points before his first shot attempt to owning a 12-point lead at the end of the first quarter, in which Horford scored 12 points on a perfect 4 of 4 beyond the arc. 

The 19-year NBA veteran also made history in the first quarter alone. Horford became the first player ever to make four 3-pointers in a Christmas game at 39 or older. In 11 minutes off the bench, Horford was a plus-9 with 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting while adding four rebounds, two assists and two steals.

A Christmas miracle or just one game? Horford looked spry and resembled what the Warriors would love to see as often as possible the rest of the season.

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Steph Curry rocks Klay Thompson's shoes during Christmas Day game vs. Mavericks originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Since parting ways with Under Armour in November, sneaker free agent Steph Curry has put a lot of thought into the shoes he wears when he arrives at the arena, when he warms up and when he plays in the games.

And Christmas Day was no different for the Warriors superstar.

After arriving in Kobe Bryant’s “Yellow Toe” Player Edition of Allen Iverson’s Reebok Question kicks and warming up in his original 2010 Nike Christmas sneakers, Curry wore Klay Thompson’s KT11 shoes during the actual game.

Curry and Thompson spent 13 years and 11 seasons as Warriors teammates before the latter asked out and was traded to the Mavericks following the 2023-24 NBA season.

While they no longer share the same backcourt, the love between the Splash Brothers remains unbreakable.

Before Thursday’s game, Curry and Thompson shared a quick embrace during their respective pregame warmup routines.

There’s rhyme and reason behind just about everything Curry does, and Thursday’s gesture clearly was a tribute to his former running-mate and lifelong friend.

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