WASHINGTON — With LeBron James taking a second-half breather, Gilbert Arenas, Antawn Jamison and Caron Butler put the Washington Wizards way ahead.

When James returned to the court, instead of leading a comeback, he became part of the problem in his Cleveland Cavaliers' 108-91 loss to Washington last night.

The reigning NBA MVP threw an errant pass. He shot an airball. He fouled DeShawn Stevenson, his old pseudo-rival from postseasons past. He missed another jumper with Stevenson in his face. He drew a technical for asking for a foul when Stevenson stopped him on a drive.

Worst of all? James hurt his left wrist by banging it off the basket while dunking.

"I hit it pretty bad on the rim," said James, who finished with 34 points and nine assists, but also had six turnovers and shot only 3 of 7 in the fourth quarter. "It's like you hit your funny bone, but it's not funny at all."

His teammates' play on this night was no laughing matter, either. With Shaquille O'Neal and Anderson Varejao out injured, no other member of the Cavaliers scored more than 10 points. No one reached double figures in rebounds or assists.

The Cavaliers had won five consecutive games. But after racing to a 17-point lead in the second quarter, they allowed the Wizards to come back, led mainly by Jamison, who was making his season debut after hurting his right shoulder in an exhibition game against Cleveland.

Jamison delivered 31 points and 10 rebounds — and some much-needed leadership — to help Washington end a six-game losing streak.

Magic 108, Thunder 94: Rashard Lewis had 17 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists to lead visiting Orlando over the Oklahoma City. Orlando starting point guard Jameer Nelson underwent arthroscopic surgery yesterday to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee and is expected to miss four to six weeks.

Hawks 105, Heat 90: Joe Johnson scored 30 points on the heels of a 35-point effort against Portland on Monday as host Atlanta won its sixth in the row, beating Miami to reclaim a share of the NBA's best record.

76ers 86, Bobcats 84: Lou Williams scored 19 points, including a layup with 3.1 seconds remaining, to lift host Philadelphia to a come-from-behind victory over Charlotte, which never got off a shot on its final possession.

Knicks 110, Pacers 103: Al Harrington scored 13 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter against his former team as visiting New York ended its six-game losing skid, while stopping Indiana's five-game winning streak.

Rockets 97, Timberwolves 84: Luis Scola had 20 points and a season-high 16 rebounds and visiting Houston drained 12 3-pointers in handing Minnesota its 11th straight loss after it opened the season with a victory.

Bucks 99, Nets 85: Andrew Bogut and Carlos Delfino each scored 21 points, Bogut also grabbed 11 rebounds, and host Milwaukee rallied to hand New Jersey its 12th straight loss to start the season.

Celtics 109, Warriors 95: Paul Pierce scored 19 points, including a 3-pointer to cap a 12-0 third-quarter run for a 70-57 lead, as host Boston ended a two-game losing streak with a victory over Golden State.

Grizzlies 106, Clippers 91: Rudy Gay and Zach Randolph scored 21 points apiece and host Memphis opened the second half with a 9-2 run for a 65-47 lead in rolling past Los Angeles for its second straight win.

Jazz 104, Raptors 91: Rookie Eric Maynor scored 11 of his 15 points in the fourth quarter and host Utah saw its 18-point lead cut to one early in the fourth before pulling away to beat Toronto for the ninth straight time.

Mavericks 99, Spurs 94: Dirk Nowitzki scored 11 of his season-high 41 points in overtime, including a 3-pointer to put Dallas in front for good, 92-91, in a victory over San Antonio.

Trail Blazers 87, Pistons 81: Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge each had 20 points, and host Portland saw its 20-point lead trimmed to 78-77 with 44 seconds left before turning back Detroit by making 6 of 6 free throws down the stretch.