SACRAMENTO, Calif. — LeBrilliant — except for the result.
LeBron James more than lived up to his hype in the first regular-season game of his NBA career, playing like no other 18-year-old ever had in his professional debut as the Cleveland Cavaliers lost 106-92 Wednesday night to the Sacramento Kings.
James had 25 points, nine assists, six rebounds and four steals, mesmerizing one of the league's loudest crowds with skills no teenager had ever displayed at this level.
James' point total was by far the most by any prep-to-pro rookie since Kobe Bryant made the jump in 1996, eclipsing the 10 points scored by both Jonathan Bender of Indiana in his 1999 debut and Amare Stoudemire of Phoenix last year.
In fact, James' 25 eclipsed the combined totals of Bryant (no points), Jermaine O'Neal (two), Kwame Brown (two), Eddy Curry (two), Tyson Chandler (one), Kevin Garnett (eight) and Tracy McGrady (none) in their professional debuts.
James capped his night by shooting an airball from 3-point range just before the final buzzer, drawing taunts from the fans. Those taunts, however, were only half-hearted. James entertained the fans too much to be treated too shabbily.
CELTICS 98, HEAT 75: At Boston, Paul Pierce scored 23 points and Boston made up for the absence of Antoine Walker by placing six scorers in double figures as the Celtics opened the season with a victory over Miami in Boston.
TIMBERWOLVES 95, BUCKS 89: At Minneapolis, Kevin Garnett had 25 points, 21 rebounds and six assists as Minnesota hung on to beat Milwaukee in the opener for two teams sporting a much different look. Newcomers Sam Cassell (18 points), Latrell Sprewell (15 points) and Michael Olowokandi (11 points, nine rebounds) helped out Garnett, as did holdover reserve Gary Trent (14 points).
Michael Redd and Desmond Mason each had 16 points for Milwaukee, playing its first game under rookie coach Terry Porter.
PACERS 89, PISTONS 87: At Auburn Hills, Mich., Jermaine O'Neal had 22 points and 15 rebounds as Indiana held on for a victory over Detroit, helping coach Rick Carlisle beat the team that fired him.
WIZARDS 99, BULLS 74: At Chicago, Gilbert Arenas was a winner in his Washington debut, scoring 18 points and adding six assists in Washington's victory over Chicago. Larry Hughes added 20 points to lead six Washington players in double figures, and Etan Thomas had a double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds.
The loss spoiled the homecoming of Scottie Pippen, who is back in a Bulls uniform for the first time since winning the 1998 NBA title. Fans gave Pippen a long, loud standing ovation when he was introduced before the game, but that's where the highlights ended for the home crowd.
MAGIC 85, KNICKS 83, OT: At New York, Tracy McGrady scored half of his 26 points in the fourth quarter and overtime to rally Orlando to a season-opening victory over New York.
Orlando forced overtime with a 10-0 run over the final 3:55 of regulation. The Magic made it a 15-point spurt by scoring the first five points of the extra session — punctuated by McGrady's 3-pointer with 3:42 left. But the Knicks came back with six straight points, taking a 79-78 lead on Kurt Thomas' turnaround jumper.
RAPTORS 90, NETS 87: At Toronto, Vince Carter scored 25 of his 39 points in the second half as Toronto rallied for a victory over New Jersey in the season opener for both teams. Carter, who played only 43 games last season because of injuries, almost single-handedly gave new Raptors coach Kevin O'Neill his first win.
HORNETS 88, HAWKS 83, OT: At New Orleans, Darrell Armstrong scored 18 points and made an assortment of crucial plays in his New Orleans debut, lifting new coach Tim Floyd and the Hornets over Atlanta in overtime.
NUGGETS 80, SPURS 72: At Denver, Carmelo Anthony had 12 points and seven rebounds in his NBA debut, leading Denver to a win over San Antonio. Andre Miller added 16 points, Earl Boykins 13 and Nene Hilario 12 for the Nuggets, who overcame poor shooting to knock off the defending NBA champions.
Denver shot 29 percent from the field, compared with 27 percent for the Spurs.
Tim Duncan had 17 points on 7-of-22 shooting and 21 rebounds for San Antonio, which opened its season Tuesday night with an 83-82 win over Phoenix.
MAVERICKS 95, WARRIORS 87: At Oakland, Calif., Dirk Nowitzki had 29 points and 15 rebounds and Dallas spoiled Golden State's season opener by beating the Warriors for the 18th straight time.
Nowitzki scored five straight points as the Mavericks took control in the fourth quarter and Antoine Walker added 20 points and 14 rebounds for Dallas, which hasn't lost to the Warriors since 1999.