Imago
Oct 26, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Anthony Davis (3) looks to hand the ball off to guard D’Angelo Russell (5) during the second quarter against the Toronto Raptors at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
Imago
Oct 26, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Anthony Davis (3) looks to hand the ball off to guard D’Angelo Russell (5) during the second quarter against the Toronto Raptors at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
Tonight, the Golden State Warriors faced the Dallas Mavericks for a Christmas Day matchup, but one moment has taken the attention away from the game. Mavs forward Anthony Davis left tonight’s game after checking out during a timeout, holding his groin. Here’s what happened to him.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
Why Did Anthony Davis Leave the Game?
Davis exited the game during a second-quarter timeout, with 8:50 left on the clock. During the preceding sequence, Davis was running out ahead on the fast break, but as the pass was outlet towards him, he seemed to limp off towards the sideline. After the timeout, ESPN reporter Malika Andrews provided an update.
“It looked like they were working on in between the knee and the groin area all the way up and down Anthony Davis’s right leg,” Andrews explained, highlighting the Mavs staff. “A couple of teammates, coaches came to check on him. He gave them the thumbs up but ultimately checked in with the trainer and said, ‘Do you want to go back to the locker room?’ He said, ‘Yes’… He had no limp.”
Top Stories
Soon afterward, it was reported that Davis would be missing the rest of tonight’s game with “right groin spasms,” according the an announcement from the team.
Anthony Davis (right groin spasms) will not return to tonight’s game against Golden State Warriors.
— Mavs PR (@MavsPR) December 25, 2025
Charles Barkley Urges Mavs to Trade Anthony Davis
During the halftime broadcast on ABC, the Inside the NBA crew were discussing the game, and once they got to Anthony Davis’ injury, Charles Barkley didn’t hold back. The NBA legend delivered a scathing assessment of the Davis era for the Mavs.
“Anthony Davis, as much as we like him and love him as a player, he’s never going to be healthy,” Barkley told the rest of the crew. “If I was running the team, I’d say it’s Cooper’s team now. We’re going to start building for the future because we’re not going to win the championship… Maybe somebody will take Anthony Davis, but this experiment is over.”
How Did Anthony Davis Perform Before Leaving?
Davis played just under 11 minutes tonight, and was productive. Despite going 1-4 from both the field and the charity stripe, the forward was huge on defense, logging three rebounds, a steal, and two blocks. He was a +6 in the minutes he played, and the team stayed competitive with him on the floor.
Imago
Nov 19, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Anthony Davis (3) looks on from the bench during the second half against the New York Knicks at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
How Did the Mavericks Adjust Without Anthony Davis?
With Anthony Davis exiting, the only big man the team had left was Daniel Gafford, who has already faced injury struggles this season. Instead of giving him heavy minutes, the team opted to run a smaller lineup, using versatile forward PJ Washington as a small-ball center.
Brandon Williams stepped up off the bench, logging 26 points on uber-efficient shooting, along with three rebounds and assists. Cooper Flagg also performed well on his first Christmas Day game, leading all scorers with a game-high 27 points, adding six rebounds, five assists and a block.
Unfortunately for them, Golden State’s depth stepped up, with seven players scoring in double digits, despite Stephen Curry struggling with his shooting, connecting on just six of his 18 attempts. Next up, the Mavericks take on the Sacramento Kings on the 27th.
