VIDEO: Lakers’ Dwight Howard, Jimmy Butler get into heated exchange on rebound attempt

Things heated up early in Game 5 of the NBA Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Miami Heat on Friday. Around the seven-minute mark in the first quarter, Jimmy Butler got entangled with Dwight Howard as the pair tried to secure position for the rebound.

Officials were quick to blow the whistle as the two stars kept shoving each other and refused to let go. Words were soon exchanged as their respective teammates came over to try and defuse the situation.

Here's the heated moment which almost turned ugly.

Cooler heads soon prevailed and both players were separated shortly. The fiery confrontation just speaks volumes to the level of intensity in the air in the pivotal Game 5.

The Lakers can close out the series and win the chip with a win, while the Heat simply want to keep their season alive.

—

Follow ClutchPoints on Twitter & Instagram, and like us on Facebook. We can also be found on Flipboard where you can subscribe and follow us.

All of our Lakers and other NBA content can be found on the NBA section of the ClutchPoints home page here. For all of our college basketball content, click here.

Follow NBA games live by downloading the ClutchPoints App and heading to the scores tab under the NBA section.

You can listen and subscribe to the Battle for LA podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Soundcloud. You can also find new episodes of Battle for LA, the ClutchPoints NBA Podcast, and Establish the Pass under the Podcast tab on the ClutchPoints home page.