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Philadelphia holds off Golden State 110-102

Feb 24, 2010 - 7:06 AM OAKLAND, Calif.(AP) -- Lou Williams wasn't surprised to find the ball in his hands near the perimeter - even though Philadelphia coach Eddie Jordan designed the play to go inside.

The way Williams' night was going, he figured it might come his way.

Making his first start in nearly five weeks due to the absence of Allen Iverson, Williams scored 26 points, including a clinching 3-pointer with 14.5 seconds left, to help the 76ers beat the Golden State Warriors 110-102 on Tuesday night.

"The shot clock was winding down, so I had to shoot it," Williams said. "The play was for Elton (Brand) and he felt needed to pass to Jrue (Holiday), who found me. I had a good rhythm throughout the night, so I just had to hold on to my follow-through."

Williams matched his career highs in 3-pointers (five) and rebounds (10) while adding seven assists to help the Sixers win in their first game since Iverson took an indefinite leave of absence to be with his ill daughter.

Iverson is expected to miss at least the remaining two games on Philadelphia's road trip and has given no indication when he'll return while he deals with his personal issues.

His absence didn't seem to affect the Sixers much, especially with the way Williams played.

Philadelphia jumped out to a 15-point lead in the first quarter, extended it to 66-48 at halftime and then cruised the rest of the way after holding off a late flurry from Golden State.

"We needed to keep our poise and we executed enough to win the game," Sixers coach Eddie Jordan said. "We knew they were going to make a run, but we did enough to pull out the win."

Andre Iguodala added 22 points and seven assists for Philadelphia, which was coming off a 32-point loss to Chicago three days earlier.

The Sixers led the entire game, building a 24-point advantage in the second half while completing a season sweep of the Warriors for the first time since 2000-01.

Monta Ellis had 22 points and C.J. Watson added 20 for the Warriors, who pulled within 105-102 on Anthony Morrow's 3-pointer with 39.1 seconds remaining. Williams then answered with his own 3 and Rodney Carney added a pair of free throws for the Sixers.

"Whenever they were open they just made shots," Golden State coach Don Nelson said. "I'm very disappointed in the way the team played. We ended up losing a game that should have been a winnable game for us."

Golden State tried to make it close despite being without second-leading scorer Corey Maggette (hamstring). It didn't get any easier with Ellis slowed by foul trouble most of the night.

The Warriors shot only 35.9 percent in the first half while Ellis was hampered with four fouls. Ellis, who leads the team in scoring and minutes played, picked up his fifth foul midway through the third quarter and was forced to play tentatively the rest of the way.

The Warriors, who rallied from 18 down to beat Atlanta on Sunday, trailed 90-73 at the start of the fourth quarter but went on an 16-4 run early in the period to close the gap. Stephen Curry, who had 17 points and six rebounds, scored seven straight points and Watson added a 3-pointer to make it 103-99.

Iguodala made a 14-foot jumper for Philadelphia before Morrow's 3-pointer pulled the Warriors within 105-102. Williams - who has come off the bench the past 15 games after starting the first 41 - then sealed it for the Sixers with his fifth 3-pointer.

NOTES: It was the first time Philadelphia, which beat Golden State 117-101 on Dec. 14, has won in Oakland since Jan. 3, 2005.