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Final Score: Washington 88 - Cleveland 87

Cleveland, OH (Sports Network) - Caron Butler had a playoff-career-high 32 points, including the game-winning bucket with 3.9 seconds remaining, and the Washington Wizards kept their season alive with an 88-87 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 5 of their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series.

Butler shot 11-for-22 from the floor and added nine rebounds and five assists in helping Washington, which now trails 3-2 in the best-of-seven series, snap a five-game postseason losing streak on the road. DeShawn Stevenson added 17 points and five boards for the Wizards, who also snapped a five-game losing streak in playoff elimination games and will return to D.C. for Game 6, scheduled for Friday night.

"We heard all the quotes that this series wasn't going back to D.C.," Butler said. "Obviously this team has been through adversity all season long. We've been told what we can't do and what we couldn't overcome. We've just been proving doubters wrong all season. This was just another obstacle in our way."

LeBron James carried Cleveland as much as he could, scoring 34 points, corralling 10 rebounds and handing out seven assists, but his potential answer to Butler's go-ahead hoop rimmed out as time expired and the Cavs' five-game home-playoff win streak against Washington came to an end. Cleveland, which has sent the Wizards packing in each of the past two seasons, also got 19 points and six rebounds from Zydrunas Ilgauskas, but shot just 36 percent from the floor as a team.

"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," Cavaliers coach Mike Brown said. "He's made a ton of winning plays for us. That's what we did."

In a fourth quarter highlighted by alternating runs, Washington found itself ahead 82-81 with just over four minutes remaining after Stevenson deposited a tough floater in the lane. But the Cavs responded with a string of six unanswered points, starting with three straight free throws from James.

Off a Butler miss, James triggered the break and pushed ahead to Delonte West, who finished a left-handed lay-in and drew a foul on Stevenson. West hit a free throw to complete the three-point play, giving the Cavs an 87-82 cushion with 1:47 left. Washington's Darius Songaila was then rejected by Ilgauskas while trying to drive the baseline, but James missed badly on a potential dagger of a three at the other end.

Butler rebounded an Antawn Jamison miss and converted the putback to bring the Wizards within three, and after Cleveland's Daniel Gibson missed a three, Washington got a huge break. Wizards point guard Antonio Daniels came down with the rebound and was fouled by Joe Smith, giving Washington an opportunity to make it a one-point game with 43 ticks on the clock.

Daniels hit both free throws for an 87-86 score, and on the ensuing possession Cleveland couldn't convert despite multiple looks. Smith missed a short jumper and Ilgauskas' repeated tip attempts went begging, and the Wizards called timeout after controlling the board with 11.2 seconds remaining.

Out of the break, Butler took a handoff from Jamison, drove the lane on James and, despite awkwardly shuffling his feet and maybe even traveling, rattled home a tough, contested leaning bank shot with just under four seconds to go for a one-point Wizards edge.

James got a clean look on the final possession, driving past Stevenson and coming to a jump-stop in front of Songaila, but he kissed the shot a little too hard off the glass and it rimmed out. Songaila was planted dangerously in front of James as he landed, and the Cleveland crowd clearly wanted a blocking foul called, but the whistles went silent and Washington lived to see Game 6.

"I was messing with LeBron before the play actually happened," Butler said. "I was saying, 'make this series interesting, take it back to D.C.' and he just kind of laughed. As the ball was rolling around the win I was looking like, 'this is our season right here.' Once it rolled off everyone jumped around and celebrated."

"We didn't execute," James said. "Being up five with a minute 30, a minute 35, I had the ball in my hands for most part. I didn't execute. I'm supposed to put us in a position to do the right thing and tonight I didn't do that."

Daniels finished with 12 points and Jamison had eight to go with a team-high 11 boards for the Wizards, who ended a string of five straight losses in Game 5s despite being without the services of three-time All-Star Gilbert Arenas. Arenas, who was available at varied capacities during the first four games of the series, announced earlier Wednesday that his surgically repaired knee was simply causing him too much pain, and he will miss the remainder of the season -- not to mention the series.

"Our leadership just steps up when Gil's out," Wizards coach Eddie Jordan said. "That's how it's been in the locker room, on the floor, meetings, everywhere we go. I've said it all year long, our leadership is impeccable with Antawn, Caron, Antonio and DeShawn."

West had 12 points and eight assists, while Gibson scored nine for the Cavs.

Washington held a 23-16 lead after one quarter behind 14 points from Butler, but Cleveland clawed back to tie the game at 32 on a Gibson three with 6:43 left in the half. Stevenson scored eight straight Wizards points to push the lead back to 42-37, and they held a slim 45-43 margin at the break.

Cleveland began the second half on a 16-8 burst to open up a six-point lead, and was up 62-57 after Gibson's three with 3:15 to go in the third. Jamison answered with a three, bringing the Wizards back within two and kick-starting a 12-3 run to close the period.

Butler hit two free throws to put Washington up 71-65 less than a minute into the fourth, but the Cavs soon broke out of their scoring drought. James scored inside and Smith converted a tip-in, then James got loose for a two-handed slam that had Cleveland back ahead, 74-73 with 7 1/2 minutes remaining.