The sellout crowd expected to see LeBron James. Instead, rookie Brandon Jennings, sporting a new dyed-red mohawk that makes him look a little like a rooster, did all the strutting.

The 20-year-old point guard scored 25 points and the Milwaukee Bucks beat Cleveland 92-85 on Saturday night, with James reduced to a spectator on the bench and limping noticeably when he walked from it.

"Right now, I'm playing for something bigger," Jennings said. "Main thing is get to playoffs, having the city start believing in us and keep going on from there."

Antawn Jamison had 30 points and 11 rebounds but the Cavs lost their 10th straight dating to 2007 without James in the lineup.

Cleveland's six-game winning streak was snapped and the Cavaliers will have to wait until at least Monday night to become the first team to reach 50 wins this season. The Cavs are 2 1/2 games up on the Lakers for the NBA's best record at 49-15.

Coach Mike Brown insisted his decision to sit James was for rest and had nothing to do with the previous night when the star twisted his right ankle.

Brown said his superstar could play, if needed, but that wasn't apparent while watching James. Brown said James might also sit against San Antonio on Monday.

"He's logged a lot of minutes. If you don't include this game, we play one game in a week," Brown said.

"For me, this is a great opportunity to rest him and a great opportunity for some other guys to have an opportunity to step up."

While he blew bubbles and joked with teammates on the bench, he was clearly limping as he walked to the bench in the first quarter and again to the lockerroom at the half.

James, leading the NBA in scoring at 30 points per game, only got off one shot on this night. After he returned from the lockerroom for the second half, he grabbed a basketball and sent an underhand toss toward the hoop from the elbow.

After the game, James didn't speak to reporters but was smiling and joking in the lockerroom, telling teammates that he'd see them on the bus before he left.

Meanwhile, in New York, Yi Jianlian, a Chinese forward with the NBA's New Jersey Nets, suffered a sprained left ankle 9:04 into the first quarter of his team's 113-93 victory.

Yi, who scored three points on 1-of-4 shooting, was injured when he stepped on a rival player's foot while rushing back into position on defense.

X-rays were negative for any broken bones according to the Nets, but there was no indication of how long Yi might be sidelined.