Wizards’ Butler fractures hand

Butler scored 19 points before leaving with 6:28 remaining in the third quarter, and now he could be out for the season.

Butler was apparently hurt when he tried to challenge a shot by Ruben Patterson.

"I’ll probably get an MRI on it tomorrow," Butler said. "Right now, they’re saying it’s a season-ending injury. We’ll see what happens. When I was getting the cast put on, I saw the guys win the game, that meant a lot."

The All-Star forward is averaging 19.1 points and 7.4 rebounds per game.

Washington’s victory — coupled with Miami’s loss to Detroit on Sunday— moved the Wizards a half-game ahead of the Heat for the top spot in the Southeast Division. Washington also holds the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference playoff race with 10 games remaining in its regular season.