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 WASHINGTON (AP) - Caron Butler unleashed a month's worth of pent-up energy on his 28th birthday, returning to the Washington Wizards lineup after a 16-game injury absence to score 19 points in a 101-99 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday night.
Butler, whose hip injury sent the Wizards into a February slump, scored the game's opening basket, survived some rough contact and made six of his first eight shots. The players the Wizards affectionally refer to as "Tough Juice" finished 8-for-18 from the field and had five rebounds in 41 minutes.
Butler scored only one point in the fourth quarter, but at least he had a better game than basketball-model LeBron James, who marked his appearance on the cover of the April issue of Vogue with a spotty performance. He was called for an offensive foul in the final 20 seconds and his potential game-winning 27-footer hit the front of the rim and bounced away as time expired.
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