Caron Butler whispered in LeBron James’ ear, one last word in case the Washington Wizards’ season was about to end.

With only a few ticks of the clock left, desperate times called for desperate measures.

“I was messing with LeBron before the play started,” Butler said. “I told him, ‘Miss this shot, make it interesting and let’s take this thing back to D.C.”’

Seconds later, the Wizards were on their way home—for Game 6.

Butler made a layup with 3.9 seconds left and the Wizards held their breath as James missed a potential series and season-ending layup at the horn, giving Washington an 88-87 victory Wednesday night and adding at least one more game to this overheated NBA playoff series.

After Butler scored on a tough drive past James, the Cavs had one more chance, but their superstar couldn’t get a banked runner to drop as the Wizards, who have had their past three seasons ended by Cleveland, pulled within 3-2 in the best-of-seven series.