Ex-NBA tough guy Matt Barnes met his match this week ... coming face-to-face with a pesky opossum that entered his home -- and the video of the standoff is riveting.
The 44-year-old hooper documented the whole thing on his Instagram page ... showing his elaborate plan to get the creature out of his kitchen.
Barnes -- who's in the process of moving -- had a bunch of boxes set up in hopes of leading the opossum toward the door.
The guy even tried throwing various fruits at it ... but the intruder refused to budge.
Barnes then grabbed a golf club ... with the intent to "put a pitching wedge up his ass."
The 6'7" champ did everything he could to keep a distance ... hopping around on the countertops and spraying the rodent with water, which only made it more of a challenge as it scurried further into the home.
At one point, MB even pondered lighting a joint to get the critter high ... but elected against it.
Eventually, Barnes' nemesis decided it was time to go back outside ... bolting for the door and off the property.
"I'll fight anybody, but I don't f*** with animals," Barnes said. "That's for g**damn sure."
The interaction received a ton of responses from Barnes' followers ... including Deion Sanders, Jon Jones, Gilbert Arenas, Terrell Owens and more.
Hopefully, Barnes' new crib is free of any unwanted pets!!