It’s just the preseason, but things got a little bit tense on Tuesday when Jimmy Butler and Chris Paul started jawing at each other. Butler even pulled out a classic meme to taunt the San Antonio Spurs guard. The Heat ultimately won the game 120-117 at the Kaseya Center.
In the video below, Butler was defending Paul when he pushed the veteran Spurs guard. They started talking trash at each other with a referee giving them a warning. Even CP3’s teammate, Jeremy Sochan, got in between the two players to calm the situation down.
Moments later, the cameras caught Jimmy Butler talking to his teammates on the bench. Butler did the “Pops” meme flex and thumb point, mocking Chris Paul and their altercation. It might have been tense at first, but didn’t escalate to anything else.
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Butler finished the game with 12 points, four rebounds, one assist, three steals and one block on 4-for-5 shooting in 23 minutes. Bam Adebayo had a big game for the Miami Heat, leading with 20 points, three rebounds, two assists, three steals and two blocks.
On the other hand, Paul put up 13 points, two rebounds and five assists. He also had six turnovers, a wasteful night for the veteran guard. Victor Wembanyama only had eight points and seven rebounds, while Jeremy Sochan had a team-high 18 points and 11 rebounds.
The Heat has two more preseason games scheduled on Wednesday against the Atlanta Hawks and Friday against the Memphis Grizzlies. They will start the regular season at home on Oct. 23, welcoming the Orlando Magic at the Kaseya Center.
As for the Spurs, they only have one preseason game left on Thursday against the Houston Rockets. They open their campaign on Oct. 24 on the road in Dallas at the American Airlines Center.
Chris Paul comments on the incident with Jimmy Butler
Speaking to Brady Hawk of 5 Reasons Sports after the game, Chris Paul was asked about his little incident with Jimmy Butler. Paul didn’t think much of it, but did take a subtle shot at the Miami Heat star.
“Same old, same old,” Paul said. “It’s NBA. Ain’t nobody doing nothing.”
It will be interesting to see how Butler will respond to Paul once they meet again in the regular season. The Heat and Spurs face each other only twice since they are from different conferences. Their first meeting will be on Jan. 19 at the Kaseya Center in Miami.
The second and final one is scheduled for Feb. 1 at the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio. The Spurs have not beaten the Heat since Dec. 10, 2022, and have lost eight of their last 10 meetings.
