Caron Butler had 33 points and 12 rebounds, Antawn Jamison added 21 points and Gilbert Arenas 18 for Washington, which will face LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round of the playoffs.

    "We weren't watching the scoreboard at all," Butler said. "Coach told us to go out there and take care of our own business, and let the rest take care of itself."

    After losing five straight and nearly putting themselves out of the postseason altogether, the Wizards finished with wins over three playoff teams -- Cleveland, Milwaukee and Detroit -- to jump back up to the fifth seed in the chaotic Eastern Conference.

    "We're going into the playoffs with an edge because we really had to be sharp the last 10 games," said Gilbert Arenas, who finished with 18 points.

    The top-seeded Pistons just wanted to avoid injuries before a first-round matchup with Milwaukee. Chauncey Billups watched the game in a suit and his fellow starters were on the bench in the fourth quarter.

    "Whether we play well or don't play well come Sunday, will have no bearing on how we've done this season," Detroit coach Flip Saunders said. "As I recall, we lost our last couple games in the exhibition season and got off to a pretty good start in the regular season."

    "We've been looking forward to the playoffs since the end of last season," said Pistons guard Richard Hamilton, who scored nine points. Enditem

    (Agencies)