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 ever had 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 led the Cavaliers back from an early 19-point deficit, giving Cleveland its first lead by feeding J.R. Bremer for a three-pointer that made it 85-83 with 10:05 left in the fourth.

Sacramento regained control with a 6-0 run, and the Cavaliers never made a game of it down the stretch. James capped his night by shooting an airball from three-point range just before the final buzzer, drawing taunts from the fans.

James was 12-for-20 from the field.

Peja Stojakovic led Sacramento with 22 points.

Cleveland rookie LeBron James goes up for the layup against Sacramento in his regular-season NBA debut. The Kings beat the Cavaliers, 106-92, Wednesday in Sacramento, Calif.

Mavericks 95, Warriors 87

Oakland, Calif. — Dirk Nowitzki had 29 points and 15 rebounds, and Dallas spoiled Golden State’s season opener. Nowitzki scored five straight points as the Mavericks took control in the fourth quarter, and Antoine Walker added 20 points and 14 rebounds.

Cliff Robinson scored 18 points for the Warriors.

Timberwolves 95, Bucks 89

Minneapolis — Kevin Garnett had 25 points, 21 rebounds and six assists as the Minnesota hung on to beat Milwaukee.

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.

Celtics 98, Heat 75

Boston — Kansas University product Paul Pierce scored 23 points, and Boston made up for the absence of Antoine Walker by placing six scorers in double figures.

The Celtics got 15 points apiece from Vin Baker and Eric Williams, 12 each from Mike James and KU product Raef LaFrentz, and 10 from Tony Battie.

Eddie Jones had 22 points and eight rebounds for Miami.

Pacers 89, Pistons 87

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. Ben Wallace led the Pistons with 16 points, 17 rebounds, five steals and six blocks.

Magic 85, Knicks 83, OT

New York — Tracy McGrady scored half of his 26 points in the fourth quarter and overtime to rally Orlando to a season-opening victory. 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 three-pointer with 3:42 left.

Hornets 88, Hawks 83, OT

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. Stephen Jackson led Atlanta with 21 points.

Wizards 99, Bulls 74

Chicago — Gilbert Arenas was a winner in his Washington debut, scoring 18 points and adding six assists in the Wizards’ victory. 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.

Jazz 99, Blazers 92

Salt Lake City — Carlos Arroyo had 18 points and 13 assists in his second career start, and Sasha Pavlovic scored 14 points in his NBA debut as Utah rallied. Zach Randolph led Portland with 22 points, and Rasheed Wallace scored 21 for the Trail Blazers.

Nuggets 80, Spurs 72

Denver — Carmelo Anthony had 12 points and seven rebounds in his NBA debut, leading Denver to a win over San Antonio. Tim Duncan had 17 points on 7-of-22 shooting and 21 rebounds for San Antonio.

Raptors 90, Nets 87

Toronto — Vince Carter scored 25 of his 39 points in the second half as Toronto rallied past New Jersey in the season opener for both teams.

Kenyon Martin had 26 points and 11 rebounds for the Eastern Conference champion Nets.