NBA Today
Detroit at Philadelphia (8 p.m. EDT). The Pistons will attempt to advance in the playoffs for the seventh year in a row.
STAR
-Caron Butler, Wizards, scored 32 points, including a layup with 3.9 seconds left and Washington beat Cleveland 88-87.
HANGING ON
Caron Butler made a layup with 3.9 seconds left and the Wizards held their breath as LeBron James missed a potential series-ending layup at the horn, giving Washington an 88-87 victory on Wednesday night and adding at least one more game to this overheated NBA playoff series.
HOME SWEET HOME
Paul Pierce scored a playoff-high 22 points and Ray Allen hit three 3-pointers in the middle of the third quarter Wednesday night to turn back the Hawks' last charge, leading Boston to a hard-fought 110-85 victory over Atlanta and giving the Celtics a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series. The first five games have all gone to the home team, with Game 6 in Atlanta on Friday night.
SEE YA, AVERY
The Dallas Mavericks fired coach Avery Johnson on Wednesday, the first of what's likely to be many offseason moves after the team with the league's highest payroll again flopped in the first round of the playoffs. The Mavericks have gone 3-12 in the playoffs since taking a 2-0 lead in the 2006 NBA finals against Miami. The final mark during Johnson's tenure: 194-70 in the regular season, 23-24 in the playoffs.
SPEAKING
``I was messing with LeBron before the play started. I told him, 'Miss this shot, make it interesting and let's take this thing back to D.C.''' - Caron Butler after leading the Wizards passed LeBron James and the Cavaliers 88-87 Wednesday night. James scored 34 points - 24 in the second half - but was unable to make the final shot in traffic that would have sent the Wizards quietly into the summer.