LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — LeBron James produced a 56-point masterpiece as the Los Angeles Lakers snapped their four-game losing streak with a thrilling 124-116 win over the Golden State Warriors on Saturday.

James delivered his highest single-game points tally since joining the Lakers, in a pulsating battle with the Warriors who themselves are in a mini-slump that has now run to four straight defeats.

A see-saw game at the Lakers’ newly renamed Crypto.com Arena saw the lead change hands nine times, with the Lakers jumping out to a 14-point lead in the first quarter before the Warriors hit back with a 42-point second-quarter display.

That left the Warriors in the driving seat and leading by 14 before James and the Lakers gradually worked their way back into the contest with a late burst of scoring in the fourth quarter.

James, who finished with 56 points and 10 rebounds, said afterwards that “desperation” had inspired the Lakers.

“Just desperation. We needed this win for sure. It means a lot.

“Obviously they’re the second-best team in the West. They’ve been struggling a little bit of late but we’ve been struggling all year, pretty much.

“For us to get a win like this in front of our home fans — they deserve it. We haven’t played like much of anything of late so it’s good to get a win like that in front of them.”

James hopes the win can act as a catalyst for the Lakers’ troubled season. The 2020 NBA champions remain out of the automatic play-off places and are ninth in the Western Conference with a 28-35 record.

Elsewhere Saturday, Jimmy Butler scored 21 points as the Miami Heat shut down Joel Embiid to end the Philadelphia 76ers’ five-game winning streak with a 99-82 victory.

The much-anticipated duel between the first- and second-place Eastern Conference rivals was a mostly one-sided affair, with the Sixers weakened by the decision to rest star recruit James Harden.

That left Sixers big man Embiid isolated as the Heat’s defence took control to restrict the Sixers’ scoring, including a season-low 14 points in the first quarter.

Butler was one of four Miami players to finish in double figures.

In other games, Ja Morant and Desmond Bane scored 25 points and 24 points, respectively, to lead the Memphis Grizzlies to a 124-96 blowout over the Orlando Magic.

The win puts the Grizzlies in second place in the Western Conference, improving to 44-21.