NBA scoring leader Joel Embiid just missed a triple-double with 35 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists, and the Philadelphia 76ers ended the Oklahoma City Thunder’s six-game winning streak with a 127-123 victory.

Embiid made 19 of 21 free throws, including six in the final 9.8 seconds to seal the win after the 76ers' nine-point lead with 49 seconds left was cut to two.

Tyrese Maxey added 28 points and eight rebounds, and Tobias Harris scored 16 points for the 76ers, who moved to 11-5, the same as the Thunder.

“Everybody is watching games around the league this year and there’s a lot of finishes that are what you would consider wild ones. It’s almost the norm now,” Philadelphia coach Nick Nurse said.

“You’ve really got to finish. There’s no time to relax and not execute. … We’ve got to clean it up. If you want to be a really good team, you don’t need that kind of stuff.”

Rookie Chet Holmgren led Oklahoma City with 33 points. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, like Embiid a first-team All-NBA selection last season, scored 31.

Elsewhere, Anthony Davis scored 23 of his season-high 32 points in the second half and grabbed 13 rebounds, LeBron James had 22 points and the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 121-115.

James added six rebounds, six assists and two steals in beating Cleveland for the 18th time in 21 career games. The 39-year-old attended St Vincent-St Mary High School in nearby Akron and spent 11 seasons with the Cavaliers, leading them to the 2016 title.

Donovan Mitchell, who missed the previous four games with a right hamstring strain, went 4 of 18 from the field and had 22 points and six assists for Cleveland. (AP)