LeBron James sacrifices nearly two-decade streak for a Lakers win

LeBron James, the NBA's record man, scored eight points in a fast-paced Los Angeles Lakers win Thursday over the Toronto Raptors, breaking a streak of 1,297 games with double-digit scoring.

Here are the top scenes from a five-game day in the North American Basketball League.

Hachimura at the buzzer

With Luka Doncic out, the Lakers pulled off a prestigious 123-120 win on the court of Toronto, the second-place team in the Eastern Conference.

Shooting guard Austin Reaves was the Angelino offensive engine with 44 points on an uncharacteristically uninspired night for James.

The forward, who will turn 41 this month, was held to eight points after converting just 4 of his 17 shots from the field and none of his five attempts from the three-point line.

King James is still getting into a rhythm after missing the first month with sciatica.

With this meager production, he ended one of the most stratospheric streaks of his career, that of 1,297 consecutive games scoring at least 10 points, which had remained active since Jan. 6, 2007.

It's the longest such streak by far in the NBA, the closest being Michael Jordan with 866 games and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar with 787.

Obfuscated in front of the rim, the forward focused on the work of facilitator of the game distributing 11 assists.

With the score tied at 120 and three seconds on the clock, LeBron had the last possession of the game in his hands.

James could have looked for a shot to keep his streak alive but chose to assist in the corner to Japan's Rui Hachimura, who nailed the game-winning three-pointer as LeBron celebrated with his arms in the air.

The NBA's all-time leading scorer, LeBron is embarking on his 23rd career season, another record for longevity, with the Lakers in an unexpected second place in the West (16-5).

Maxey saves Sixers

In another frantic end to the game, the Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Golden State Warriors 99-98 without Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler.

The Californians had a catastrophic start to the game trailing by 10 points in 12 minutes, the worst first quarter in the 11-year era of coach Steve Kerr.

Golden State then got back on track and was one point ahead (98-97) when, with three seconds left, Tyrese Maxey missed a layup for Philadelphia.