Revisiting Every Dallas Mavericks Christmas Day Game

A very festive game between the Mavs and Blazers, as Dallas wore green and Portland wore red. This was a young, up-and-coming Portland squad that had just selected Greg Oden first overall the year before and Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge in 2006. Had this trio stayed together, they would've been a force to be reckoned with, as they won 54 games this season. But they dropped this one.

The Mavericks had a small lead early but would give way to Portland thanks to 15 combined points from Roy and Aldridge. That gave the Blazers an 80-77 lead into the fourth, where it would be all Mavs from there. Dallas got 19 points from their bench unit of Jason Terry, JJ Barea, and Brandon Bass to outscore Portland 25-14 in the final frame and go on to win. Dirk Nowitzki led all scorers in this game with 30 points.

2011: Miami Heat 105, Dallas Mavericks 94

Due to the lockout-shortened season, Dirk Nowitzki and the re-tooled Mavs took on the Heat in the first game of the season on Christmas. This was also an NBA Finals rematch of Dallas' lone championship and Miami came into this game looking for revenge.

And Miami sure showed that early, roaring out to a 32-17 lead by the end of the first quarter behind 10 points from LeBron James and seven from Dwyane Wade. The Mavs lost a lot of key pieces from that championship team, as Tyson Chandler, JJ Barea, DeShawn Stevenson, Peja Stojakovic, and Caron Butler were all gone and replaced by older veterans like Lamar Odom, Delonte West, and Vince Carter. The lockout didn't give them time to gel, and by the end of the third quarter, Miami had a 97-65 lead. The Mavs tried to pull a 2011 playoff-like miracle, outscoring the Heat 29-8 in the fourth quarter, but they never got closer than the final result of 105-94, as Miami went scoreless over the final five minutes of the game.

Dirk Nowitzki scored 21 points in what would turn out to be his last Christmas game, but he was outclassed by LeBron James, who had 37 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists.

2020: Dallas Mavericks 115, Los Angeles Lakers 138

The first Christmas game of Luka Doncic's career was Dallas' second against LeBron James. And because of COVID-19, this was the second game of the season in an empty Staples Center, so another strange Christmas game for the Mavs. LA won every quarter in this game, but it was mostly competitive throughout. The Lakers didn't go up by double-digits until the final minute of the first half, but Dallas had a clear talent disadvantage against the reigning NBA Champions.

Luka Doncic had 27 points and seven assists in his first Christmas game, outscoring LeBron James, who had 22. Anthony Davis led the game overall with 28 points and eight rebounds, but also Montrezl Harrell came off the bench to give them 22 points. Dallas' second-leading scorer was a tie between Josh Richardson and Trey Burke, who each had 17.

2021: Dallas Mavericks 116, Utah Jazz 120

This game featured a real "who's who" of names, as Luka Doncic and Dorian-Finney Smith missed this game, leaving them to start Sterling Brown and have Theo Pinson, Brandon Knight, Marquese Chriss, Moses Brown, George King, and Charlie Brown Jr. as their bench unit. Gross.

Dallas had a nine-point lead behind 17 combined points from Jalen Brunson and Kristaps Porzingis in the first quarter. Donovan Mitchell went scorched earth in the second quarter, though, scoring 16 points on 4/7 shooting and making all eight free throws. That gave the Jazz a two-point lead heading into halftime. Porzingis had 12 of his 27 points in the third quarter, which had the game tied at the end of the third quarter, but a 6-0 stretch from the Jazz with three minutes left behind Mike Conley and Bojan Bogdanovic pushed them ahead for good.

Brunson also had 27 points in this game, but Mitchell led the way with 33 points, getting help from Bogdanovic's 25 and Conley's 22. These two teams would meet again in the first round of the playoffs, with the Mavericks coming away with a six-game series win.

2022: Los Angeles Lakers 115, Dallas Mavericks 124

The third time Dallas has played against LeBron James on Christmas, the Lakers started hot with a 17-6 lead behind some quick baskets from James. It's funny looking back and seeing some guys who were playing in a big game for the Mavs just two seasons ago, as players like Reggie Bullock and Christian Wood started the game, while Davis Bertans, Theo Pinson, and McKinley Wright IV came off the bench. All five of those players aren't even playing right now (thank you, Nico Harrison).

The Lakers took an 11-point lead into halftime, but the Mavericks DOMINATED the third quarter, outscoring LA 51-21, getting 16 points from Tim Hardaway Jr. and 13 points and six assists from Luka Doncic. Dallas was 9/13 from three in the third quarter, while the Lakers were 6/18 from the floor. That was enough for Dallas to cruise to a nine-point victory.

2023: Dallas Mavericks 128, Phoenix Suns 114

The most recent Christmas game the Mavericks played in was a thriller between the Mavericks and the Suns. Dallas roared out to a double-digit lead midway through the first quarter, getting some early contributions from Luka Doncic and Dereck Lively II, as Doncic scored 17 points in the first quarter. That lead continued throughout the second quarter, as Dallas took a 10-point lead into halftime. Phoenix stormed back in the third quarter behind 19 points on five three-pointers from Grayson Allen to take a one-point lead heading into the fourth. But Doncic continued to terrorize the Suns, putting up 12 points and five assists on his way to 50 points and 15 assists for the game, one of the greatest Christmas performances of all time.