OAKLAND, Calif. — Leandro Barbosa and Draymond Green hit 3-pointers in a 14-3 flurry to close the third quarter as the Golden State Warriors ran away from the Atlanta Hawks en route to a 114-95 victory in a rematch of conference leaders Wednesday night.
The Hawks won the teams’ first meeting in Atlanta, 124-116 on Feb. 6.
By earning a split in the season series, the Warriors (54-13) moved 1 1/2 games ahead of the Hawks (53-15) in the battle for the best record in the league and home-court advantage in the NBA Finals should the clubs meet again in June.
In the first ever matchup in NBA history of two teams with winning percentages of .790 or higher this late in a season, the Warriors took advantage of an Atlanta team that was playing for the fifth time on a six-game trip.
Golden State held a double-digit lead for most of the middle two quarters, then used the 14-3 burst to break things open. Point guard Stephen Curry contributed three free throws to the run.
Small forward Harrison Barnes poured in a game-high 25 points, reserve swingman Andre Iguodala added 21 and Green had 18 to complement seven rebounds as the Warriors, playing without shooting guard Klay Thompson (sprained right ankle), won their 10th straight at home and improved to 3-0 on their current six-game homestand.
The Warriors shot 52.4 percent from the field, with Barnes leading the way with 11-for-13 accuracy.
Green finished 5-for-7 from 3-point range as Golden State outscored Atlanta 42-24 from beyond the arc on its way to 16th win this season by 19 or more points. Five Warriors connected on at least a pair of 3-pointers.
Curry recorded 16 point and 12 assists, and center Andrew Bogut snatched 14 rebounds on a scoreless night for the Warriors, who led by as many as 29 points in the fourth quarter.
The loss was just the Hawks’ fourth by more than 15 points.
Forwards DeMarre Carroll and Paul Millsap had 16 points apiece for the Hawks, who played without shooting guard Kyle Korver (broken nose) and key reserve big man Mike Scott (broken toe).
Carroll (12) and Millsap (nine) also combined for 21 rebounds.
Point guard Jeff Teague added 12 points for Atlanta, which failed in its attempt to become the first team to clinch its division title.
The Hawks, who had won three in a row, shot just 35.6 percent.
The Warriors built the foundation of their winning margin in the first half, during which they shot 58.5 percent to overcome 11 turnovers. Golden State led 59-47 at the break.
NOTES: Hawks backup SG Thabo Sefolosha has missed 21 consecutive games, including both matchups with the Warriors, because of a strained right calf. … Warriors SG Klay Thompson (sprained right ankle) is expected to miss at least a week. He played 64 of the Warriors’ first 66 games. … SG Justin Holiday started in Thompson’s place, as he did last Friday in Denver, when he scored a season-best 23 points while Thompson rested. Holiday finished with five points Wednesday. … The Warriors (.393) and Hawks (.383) began the day ranked 1-2 in the league in 3-point shooting percentage. … Golden State PG Stephen Curry (693) needs one steal to tie SG Monta Ellis (694) for sixth place on the Warriors’ career list and three to catch SG Latrell Sprewell (696) for fifth. He finished without a steal Wednesday.