Warriors 108, 76ers 105
PHILADELPHIA -- Forward Harrison Barnes dropped in a 3-pointer with 0.2 left on the clock Saturday and the Golden State Warriors escaped with a 108-105 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers in a meeting of the NBA's best and worst teams.
Guard Klay Thompson scored 32 points for the Warriors, defending league champions, who improved to 43-4. That equaled the 1966-67 Sixers for the best 47-game start in league history.
The Warriors, who led by 24 points in the third quarter and 15 with 5:41 left in the game, saw the Sixers go on a 20-5 run that included seven points by guard Ish Smith.
Smith's steal and breakaway dunk with 22.3 seconds left tied the score at 105-105.
On the final Golden State possession, guard Stephen Curry fired a pass from the right wing to forward Draymond Green at the top of the circle. He found Barnes in the right corner from where he drilled his shot.
Curry finished with 23 points, while Green contributed 10 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists for the Warriors. Barnes finished with 11 points.
Guard Isaiah Canaan scored 18 points off the bench for the Sixers (7-41), including a four-point play with 38.6 seconds left. Smith had 16 points and nine assists.
Thompson, who notched a season-high 45 points in a victory over Dallas on Wednesday night, had 21 in Saturday's first half, staking the Warriors to a 73-54 lead.
Golden State were up 100-85 after Thompson dropped in a layup with 5:41 left in the game, before the Sixers mounted their comeback.
The Sixers moved to an early 17-10 lead behind guard Nik Stauskas, who scored seven points, but the Warriors reeled off 15 straight to go ahead for good.
Thompson had eight of those points, including a pair of 3-pointers.
Golden State, up 34-28 after a quarter, saw Philadelphia creep within three early in the second quarter, 38-35, on a 3-pointer by guard/forward Hollis Thompson.
The Warriors, however, outscored the Sixers 35-19 the rest of the quarter to take a 73-54 halftime lead.
It was the most points the Sixers have allowed in a half this season. The Warriors' 65.3-percent shooting was also the best by a Philadelphia opponent in any half this season.
Klay Thompson had eight of his 21 first-half points in the quarter, while Green had six of the 10 he scored in the first 24 minutes. Green also had 10 rebounds and six assists in the half.
NOTES: Philadelphia C Jahlil Okafor and G JaKarr Sampson returned after missing the two previous games because of illness. Okafor, the 76ers' leading scorer, did not start, however, as coach Brett Brown sought to match up with the smaller Warriors. Okafor finished with 13 points. ... Warriors center Andrew Bogut grabbed 16 rebounds. ... Golden State G/F Andre Iguodala, a former Sixer, did not dress, as the Warriors elected to rest him. ... Warriors C Festus Ezeli missed his second straight game because of a sore left knee. ... Rappers Meek Mill and Nicki Minaj were in the crowd, the third time this month they have taken in a Sixers game.