OAKLAND, Calif. -- With a 16-point lead gone, Stephen Curry missing his magic touch and Klay Thompson struggling through an off game, the Golden State Warriors somehow found another gear Monday night.
Its name was Harrison Barnes.
The unheralded forward scored 10 of his 19 points during a 17-5 run to open the fourth quarter as the Warriors exploded from a tie after three periods into a 123-110 victory over the Houston Rockets.
"I'm really proud of him," Warriors center Andrew Bogut said of Barnes, who had two points on 1-for-4 shooting through three quarters. "He stuck with it and got it going."
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Curry poured in 35 points, his 23rd game with 30 or more this season, helping the Warriors (47-4) gain the distinction of having the best 51-game record in NBA history.
The win was their 10th in a row, each of which they led by at least 15 points. The Warriors improved to 24-0 at home this season with their 42nd consecutive victory at Oracle Arena.
Curry scored 26 of his 35 points in the first half, during which Golden State led by as many as 16. The reigning Most Valuable Player was pretty much out of bullets by the time Rockets standout James Harden shot his team into a 93-all tie at the end of the third quarter.
That was when Barnes, flanked by Bogut and three reserves, took charge.
First, he followed a 3-pointer by supersub swingman Andre Iguodala with a 3-pointer of his own, pushing Golden State into a six-point lead and prompting a quick Houston timeout.
The score was 103-96 before Barnes nailed a fadeaway, turned a drive into a three-point play and buried a jumper in a personal seven-point flurry that gave Golden State a 110-98 cushion to massage to the finish.
"Our bench really carried us tonight," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said of a second unit that often includes Barnes, a starter. "Klay never got going, and then Steph in the second half didn't really get going. The surge from the bench to start the fourth quarter gave us the separation we needed."
Barnes finished with 19 points, 17 of which came in the fourth quarter on 7-for-8 shooting.
His fourth-quarter output equaled that of the entire Rockets team.
"We made some mistakes," Rockets interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff said of his team's fourth-quarter problems. "You can't afford to make mistakes against this team, whether it's their first unit (or) their bench. They're deep and they're that good."
Harden led all scorers with 37 points, 10 of which came in the decisive final period. However, he got little support in those final 12 minutes as his teammates combined to go 3-for-14 and total seven points.
"It's a competitive game against a really good team, an undefeated team at home," Harden said, finding a silver lining in defeat. "We just gave up a couple of mental lapses in the fourth quarter, and that was the game right there."
Curry's 35-point night was the result of 12-for-24 shooting. The point guard hit seven 3-pointers and also found time for a game-high nine assists and five rebounds.
The Warriors also got a boost from the center position, even with key backup Festus Ezeli missing his first game following knee surgery.
Bogut and Marreese Speights combined for 28 points and 15 rebounds, with Bogut complementing a 13-and-11 double-double with six blocks and three steals in his head-to-head with Houston's Dwight Howard.
"Bogut was phenomenal tonight," Kerr said. "Best game he's played in long time."
Howard did manage a double-double of his own with 16 points and 15 rebounds. However, he stalled the Rockets at times by shooting 2-for-10 at the free-throw line, getting whistled for five fouls and committing four turnovers.
Golden State's third consecutive win over Houston this season allowed the Warriors to sweep the season series for the second consecutive season, a franchise first.
Power forward Trevor Ariza backed Harden and Howard with 19 points and seven rebounds for the Rockets, who were playing their first of five straight on the road bridging the All-Star break.
Harden dropped in six 3-pointers and 11 free throws. He also had five rebounds, five assists and three steals.
Curry and Harden took turns scorching the nets from long range in an entertaining first half that saw the Warriors lead 38-22 before the Rockets (27-27) rallied within 69-66 at the break.
Curry hit four consecutive 3-pointers in a 23-11 flurry over the final 4:23 of the first quarter, helping the Warriors run up a 42-27 advantage at period's end.
Harden was scoreless in the first 12 minutes, but he matched Curry's four earlier threes with four of his own in the second quarter, pouring in 18 points to rally Houston back into the game.
NOTES: The Warriors have won eight in a row in the regular season against the Rockets. ... Warriors C Andrew Bogut's first block of the night was the 1,000th of his career. ... All-Stars PG Stephen Curry and SG James Harden remained tied for the league lead in 30-point games this season with 23. ... Warriors backup C Festus Ezeli underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee Monday and is expected to be out six to eight weeks. Ezeli averaged 5.9 rebounds and 1.23 blocked shots (third on the team in both categories) in his first 40 games. ... Tuesday's game was the first regular-season rematch in Oakland of last year's Western Conference finals, which was won 4-1 by the Warriors. ... Golden State played its second and final home game of February. The Warriors will play 17 of their final 24 at home beginning March 1. ... The double-figure rebounding game was the third in a row for Rockets C Dwight Howard, whose double-double was his 23rd of the season.
