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Wizards jinx apathetic Pistons

The Detroit Pistons' Richard Hamilton, left, drives past the outstretched arm of Washington Wizards defender Brendan Haywood in the first quarter of their NBA game in Auburn Hills, Michigan, on Wednesday. PHOTO: AP

Caron Butler scored 33 points and 12 rebounds as the Washington Wizards earned a first-round playoff date with LeBron James by beating the apathetic Detroit Pistons 96-80 on Wednesday night.

The Wizards needed a win to protect the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference, while the top-seeded Pistons (64-18) just wanted to avoid injuries.

The Wizards (42-40) will play fourth-seeded Cleveland in the first round. Washington went 3-0 against Detroit this season, joining Utah (2-0) as the only teams to sweep the Pistons.

Antawn Jamison added 21 points and nine rebounds for the Wizards, who beat Chicago in last year's first round before falling to Miami.

Cavaliers 100, Hawks 99

At Cleveland, LeBron James and Larry Hughes got some needed rest before the first round of the playoffs and the Cavaliers tuned up for the postseason by beating Atlanta.

Flip Murray scored 19 points, Donyell Marshall 16 and Anderson Varejao had a career-high 18 rebounds for Cleveland, the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference, which led by 14 points after three quarters.

Josh Smith had 21 points for Atlanta.

Pacers 89, Magic 83

At Indianapolis, Jermaine O'Neal had 24 points, 13 rebounds and six blocks, and Indiana beat Orlando to claim the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Indiana (41-41) barely avoided its first losing season since 1997. The Pacers won five of their final six games after being in danger of missing the playoffs, and will open the postseason on Sunday afternoon at Atlantic Division champion New Jersey.

Carlos Arroyo scored 17 points for Orlando.

Bobcats 96, 76ers 86

At Charlotte, North Carolina, Matt Carroll scored 24 points and the Bobcats set a franchise record with their fourth straight win.

Melvin Ely added 18 points for the second-year Bobcats, who closed the season at 26-56, eight more wins than last season.

John Salmons scored 19 for the 76ers, who played without Allen Iverson and Chris Webber.

Knicks 90, Nets 83

At East Rutherford, New Jersey, Larry Brown returned to coaching in the final game of a dismal first season in New York, and the Knicks responded by avoiding their first 60-loss season.

Brown, who missed the previous three games with a stomach ailment, let Herb Williams do much of the work in the season finale. Williams gave the team almost all of its instructions during timeouts and other breaks, while Brown stood behind his assistant.

The Atlantic Division champion Nets (49-33) were an accommodating host for Brown, giving starters Jason Kidd, Vince Carter and Nenad Krstic the night off, while playing Richard Jefferson only 18 minutes.

Clippers 87, Mavericks 71

At Dallas, Corey Maggette returned to action and tuned up for the playoffs with 18 points and 11 rebounds, helping Los Angeles beat Dallas in a meaningless finish to terrific regular seasons for both clubs.

Los Angeles, locked into the sixth seed in the Western Conference, picked up its 47th victory, marking the second-best in franchise history and extending the most wins since the former Buffalo Braves moved to California in 1978. The Clippers set another franchise mark by winning their 20th road game.

The Mavericks, guaranteed the West's No. 4 seed, failed to set their franchise victory record; at 60-22, they remained tied with the 2002-03 club that reached the conference finals. But Dallas did set another club mark that defensive-minded coach Avery Johnson will appreciate: fewest points allowed per game, 93.1.

Bulls 127, Raptors 106

At Chicago, Ben Gordon scored 24 points and Chicago closed the regular season by beating Toronto to grab the No. 7 seed in the playoffs.

The Bulls will face Miami in a first-round series that opens tomorrow after winning 12 of their final 14 games to finish 41-41.

Morris Peterson and Charlie Villanueva each scored 29 for the Raptors (27-55), who ended the season on a 1-12 skid with All-Star forward Chris Bosh nursing a thumb injury. Villanueva had 10 rebounds.

Celtics 85, Heat 78

At Boston, Ryan Gomes had 19 points and Tony Allen added 17 to help Boston snap a five-game losing streak.

Miami (52-30) begins its playoff run on tomorrow against Chicago.

The Celtics (33-49) also snapped a five-game slide at home and finished with a 21-20 record in Boston.

Spurs 89, Rockets 87

At Houston, Brent Barry scored 19 points and Michael Finley added 17 to help San Antonio break the franchise record for victories. Manu Ginobili had 11 points and six assists for the Spurs, who finished the regular season 63-19, topping the 1994-95 team, which finished 62-20.

While the Spurs cruised into the playoffs, the Rockets wrapped up their third losing season since 1984. They won only 15 games at the Toyota Center, matching the league's worst home-court record and are headed to the draft lottery for the fifth time in seven seasons.

Grizzlies 102, Timberwolves 92

At Minneapolis, Brian Cardinal scored nine of his 18 points in the second overtime and Lawrence Roberts added 10 points and 12 boards to lead the Grizzlies.

Memphis played without leading scorer and rebounder Pau Gasol (sore foot) and Eddie Jones, while Minnesota sat Kevin Garnett and Ricky Davis.

Before the game, Memphis coach Mike Fratello said Gasol's injury was ``a major concern.''

Jazz 105, Warriors 102

At Salt Lake City, rookie C.J. Miles scored a career-high 23 points and Utah avoided consecutive losing seasons by rallying to beat Golden State.

Carlos Boozer had 26 points and 11 rebounds and Mehmet Okur scored 23 points. Monta Ellis scored 27 points for Golden State.

Suns 106, Trail Blazers 96

At Portland, Oregon, Steve Nash had 16 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists, and Phoenix brought Portland's dismal season to an end.

Shawn Marion had 32 points and 11 rebounds for the Suns, who had already clinched their second straight Pacific Division title. They open the postseason on Sunday against the Lakers.

The Blazers, whose mounting losses on the court were compounded by a suddenly shaky ownership situation, finish the season an NBA-worst 21-61.

Lakers 115, Hornets 95

At Los Angeles, Kobe Bryant scored 27 of his 35 points in the first half to officially win his first NBA scoring title, and the Lakers beat New Orleans to clinch seventh place in the Western Conference and a playoff matchup with Phoenix.

The Lakers, back in the postseason after a one-year absence, open the first-round, best-of-seven series against the two-time defending Pacific Division champions on Sunday in Phoenix.

The Lakers have won five straight games -- their longest winning streak in more than two years -- and 11 of their last 14 to put them a season-high eight games over .500 at 45-37.

SuperSonics 109, Nuggets 98

At Seattle, Ray Allen broke the NBA record for 3-pointers in a season, finishing with 269, and Seattle wrapped up its disappointing season by beating playoff-bound Denver.

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