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Barnes huge performance leads Warriors over 76ers

Dec 27, 2006 - 7:17 AM OAKLAND, California (Ticker) -- Matt Barnes had something to prove against his former team.

Barnes nailed a franchise-record seven 3-pointers en route to 25 points as the Golden State Warriors used a stellar perimeter game to post a 116-97 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers.

Baron Davis had 21 points and 16 assists and Andris Biedrins collected 16 and 11 rebounds for the Warriors, who shot 55 percent (40-of-73) from the field and 13-of-28 from the arc.

"We had a lot of open threes and it is my philosophy that if a 3-pointer is created by a teammate, then you have to take that shot," Golden State coach Don Nelson said.

A journeyman small forward, Barnes has played for five teams in four seasons. On December 12, he scored a career-high 32 points against the Sacramento Kings, whom he played for in 2004-05.

On Tuesday, Barnes played well against another one of his former squads, shooting an efficient 8-of-9 from the field and 7-of-8 on 3-pointers.

"I had a lot of off time in Philly," Barnes said. "I changed my shot, worked hard on it, and obviously it's helped me out. Coach (Don) Nelson has confidence in me to shoot it and that makes all the difference."

"You could tell he was focused from the first couple of threes and he hit three in a row," Davis said. "He kind of extended that lead for us. Matt carried us and he wanted to prove to them that he could shoot it. He's been shooting the ball well for us and it's great to have shooters out there, guys who can finish plays."

Rookie Rodney Carney scored a season-high 25 points for the 76ers, who shot 44 percent (38-of-86) and had their two-game winning streak snapped.

"The defense has to be kicked up another notch, and our offense needs to be controlled a little more," Philadelphia coach Maurice Cheeks said. "We need to not quick-shoot the ball but have more control of the ball."