Jimmy Butler got into a heated altercation with Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra during Wednesday's disappointing 118-104 loss against a shorthanded Golden State Warriors side. The pair had to be separated after their conversation escalated to a rather unsavory level. Even Heat veteran Udonis Haslem got involved, and he too had to be held back as he shouted at Butler.

FanDuel March Madness

After the game, Kyle Lowry was one of the first Heat players to address the media. Naturally, most of the questions pertained to the mid-game squabble between star and coach. Unsurprisingly, Lowry tried his best to play down the altercation. The Miami point guard admitted that while the incident was “crazy,” it was nothing more than “passion” spilling out.

The six-time All-Star then dropped a truth bomb about how he expects this issue to affect his team moving forward. According to Lowry, there's simply nothing to worry about:

“We got great leadership, it won't affect us at all,” Lowry stated.

It got real ugly between Spoelstra, Haslem, and Butler during the Warriors game. There was clearly a lot of frustration during a timeout in the third quarter as the Heat struggled to defend a Dubs team that had Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Klay Thompson, and Otto Porter Jr. all sitting out. Things got heated to a point where Spoelstra ended up throwing his clipboard toward Butler's direction:

Related NewsArticle continues below
Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga (00) holds onto the ball against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the fourth quarter during game four of the second round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Chase Center.
NBA rumors: Nets, Bulls, Heat named as early Jonathan Kuminga suitors
Giannis fuels trade speculation with New York, Florida admissions
Giannis fuels trade speculation with New York, Florida admissions

As for Lowry, though, he has been through quite a lot already during his time in the NBA. For him, this was nothing more than a passionate incident between individuals who just want to win:

“It happens,” Lowry said. “Honestly, it's not a moment of anything. For us, it's guys who really want to win basketball games.”

It will be interesting to see what Butler, Haslem, and, most especially, Spoelstra will have to say about this. Coach Spo looked a bit out of character as he struggled to hold his temper during the exchange. Butler likely said something to get him and Haslem going.

As Lowry said, however, the Heat are a solid team. If anything, incidents such as these are only going to make them stronger as they try and make a push for this year's title.