Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler and Indiana Pacers forward T.J. Warren are about to be a little lighter in the pocket, as they have both been fined by the NBA for their respective roles in a heated altercation during the matchup between the Heat and Pacers on Wednesday night. Butler was hit with a $35,000 fine for escalating the incident on social media postgame, while Warren got off a little lighter with a $25,000 fine, the league announced on Friday.
The incident came in the third quarter of the contest between Miami and Indiana. With the Heat leading big, Warren fouled Butler on a drive to the basket. The foul was hard and spun him out of his drive. Butler didn't take kindly to it, and the two had to be separated quickly and were called for double technical fouls.
T.J. Warren and Jimmy Butler are not on good terms.
— Sporting News (@sportingnews) January 9, 2020
Warren got tossed after this scuffle.pic.twitter.com/wNKmNbZHEk
That separation didn't last. Only one play later, Butler got called for an offensive foul when he aggressively shoved Warren. Butler wasn't happy about the call, but Warren drew the attention of the officials for mockingly applauding their call. That got him kicked out of the game. Butler, still in the game, managed to blow kisses at Warren without being noticed by the officials. Had he been, he likely would have been ejected as well. As Warren prepared to leave the floor, he gave Butler the middle finger.
T.J. Warren flipped Jimmy Butler off 😳 pic.twitter.com/DdyaoCKrvl
— Dime (@DimeUPROXX) January 9, 2020
Since this is Jimmy Butler we're talking about, he couldn't just let the matter die after the game. He made sure to let the whole world know what he thinks of Warren.
Jimmy Butler vs. T.J. Warren is officially a thing. @WISH_TV
— Charlie Clifford (@cliffWISH8) January 9, 2020
"He's not even in my f****** league." (Courtesy: Fox Sports Indiana) #Pacers #Heat @WorldWideWob pic.twitter.com/n07uoyy6xA
He then proceeded to let Warren know how ready he is for their next matchup.
The Pacers and Heat are both stuck in the logjam between the No. 2 and No. 6 seeds in the Eastern Conference. It is entirely possible that the two sides meet up as early as the first round of the postseason. With pre-existing bad blood between the two sides, that matchup would be even more exciting.