Wizards shock Cavs to keep NBA playoff series alive

Caron Butler scored the game-winner with 3.2 seconds to play Wednesday as the Washington Wizards beat Cleveland 88-87 to stay alive in the National Basketball Association playoffs.

With the nail-biting victory, the Wizards fended off elimination, narrowing the gap in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference first-round series to 3-2.

Game six will be on Friday in Washington.

Cavaliers star LeBron James had a chance to respond to Butler's driving layup and seal the series, but his own drive into a crowded lane ended with his shot rolling off the rim as time expired.

"I was able to get to the rim, but I just missed the layup," he said.

Asked if he thougth he was fouled, however, James said "Yes."

No foul was called, but Butler put his own celebration on hold to e sure.

"When I saw the ball that (James) shot rolling on the rim, I thought, 'This is our season right here,'" Butler said. "Then everyone started jumping around and celebrating, but I didn't celebrate yet because of what happened in the Philadelphia game.

"I thought they might have blown a whistle and wanted to review it, but once I saw everyone going to the locker room, I started celebrating."

Butler scored 28 points for the Wizards, who claimed their first victory in Cleveland since 2006.

"Caron is strong enough and skilled enough to beat good defense and he's smart enough and veteran enough to know when to make a play," Washington coach Eddie Jordan said.

Said James: "He made a tough shot. He played a phenomenal game tonight. He put them on his back."

The Wizards won despite the absence of Gilbert Arenas, who will miss the rest of the playoffs resting his surgically repaired left knee.

"Gilbert's a great player, he's our closer, he's a franchise guy," Butler said. "But during the course of the season, we learned to play without him."

The Cavaliers, who led by five points with less than two minutes to play, couldn't close out the game to clinch the series.

James finished with 34 points - 13 of them in the fourth period - 10 rebounds and seven assists, but the team shot just 36 percent from the field.

"We put the ball in our best player's hands and we told him to go make a play, like he has for us many times before," Cleveland coach Mike Brown said of his team's final possession.

In Wednesday's other Eastern Conference contest, the top-seeded Celtics defeated the upstart Atlanta Hawks 110-85 to take a 3-2 series lead.

The Celtics, who boasted the best defense in the NBA this season, bounced back at home after surrendering a combined 199 points over the previous two games.