NBA: Butler fills the void in Wizards win

Caron Butler helped make up for the loss of leading scorer Gilbert Arenas at least for a night, scoring 39 points to lead the Washington Wizards over the Bobcats 114-111 in overtime Wednesday at Charlotte, N.C.

With the Wizards receiving the jolting news that their star will be out for about three months after Arenas underwent knee surgery earlier in the day, Butler scored seven points in overtime, including two free throws with 15.5 seconds left for the final margin.

Spurs 128, Magic 110: Tony Parker scored a season-high 32 points, and host San Antonio beat Orlando for its third straight win.

Manu Ginobili had 27 points for the Spurs, while Tim Duncan had 20 points and 16 rebounds. Dwight Howard had 34 points and 16 rebounds for the Magic.

“The NBA shifted Duncan from center to forward on its All-Star ballot, boosting his chances of making his ninth straight start.

Bucks 110, Lakers 103: Michael Redd scored 26 points and helped hold Kobe Bryant in check as host Milwaukee beat Los Angeles for its fourth straight victory.

The Bucks held Bryant to a relatively quiet 27 points on 6-of-16 shooting.

Mavericks 100, Rockets 94: Devin Harris scored 22 points and converted a key three-point play in the closing minutes, and Dallas rallied from a double-digit deficit to beat host Houston.

Celtics 105, Warriors 82: At Boston, Ray Allen scored 21 points, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett both had double-doubles, and the Celtics thumped Golden State.

Cavaliers 97, Timberwolves 86: At Minneapolis, LeBron James had 45 points, eight rebounds and five assists to carry Cleveland over Minnesota.

James topped 40 points for the second time in three games and Drew Gooden added 17 points for the Cavs.

Pacers 105, Hornets 93: Troy Murphy made up for the absence of Jermaine O’Neal with 23 points, leading Indiana to a victory over host New Orleans.

O’Neal missed the game after tweaking his left knee in Tuesday’s loss to the Lakers.

Hawks 82, Heat 79: At Miami, Josh Smith blocked Dwyane Wade’s potential game-tying layup with 3.9 seconds left, Joe Johnson scored 22 points and Atlanta rallied from a 10-point deficit entering the final quarter to beat the Heat.

Pistons 98, Knicks 86: At Auburn Hills, Mich., Chauncey Billups had season highs with 25 points and 15 assists, directing Detroit to a victory over slumping New York. New York has lost eight straight, the NBA’s longest losing streak this season.

Raptors 95, Grizzlies 89: At Memphis, Tenn., Chris Bosh had 22 points and 19 rebounds, and Toronto overcame a poor shooting performance – 39 percent – to beat the Grizzlies.

Suns 127, Kings 111: Shawn Marion and Steve Nash led a 47-point first quarter, and host Phoenix beat Sacramento for its seventh straight win.

“The Kings’ Ron Artest did not play for personal reasons.

Nets 106, Trail Blazers 101: Jason Kidd had 12 points, 11 rebounds and 13 assists, and New Jersey snapped a six-game skid with a win over host Portland.

Richard Jefferson scored 30 points for the Nets, and Brandon Roy had 25 for the Blazers.

Clippers 101, Nuggets 90: Center Chris Kaman scored 17 points and grabbed 21 rebounds as host Los Angeles handed Denver and the Carmelo Anthony-Allen Iverson duo – which combined to score 53 points – a loss.