WATCH: Jimmy Butler and Dwight Howard Collar Each Other in a Nasty Physical Clash

The Los Angeles Lakers entered Game 5 in the Mamba jerseys for the fifth time this season. They looked lethal and threatening from the initial minutes. But at the same time, Jimmy Butler and his men were equally aggressive as the do-or-die for them begun.

In the first quarter, the Lakers struggled with putting in the three-pointers as they could drop only one shot in the bucket- meanwhile, the Miami Heat got 3/7 right. The first went to Miami, which led by 25-24. However, the attraction, or safer to say, the distraction of the quarter remained the tussle between Dwight Howard and Jimmy Butler.

Early clash between Jimmy Butler and Dwight Howard in the live wire Game 5!

It was just four minutes into the game when the score was 11-10 with the Lakers trailing. When Anthony Davis was trying to find an open Danny Green on the perimeter, something else was going on inside the paint. As Danny Green attempted a (failed) three, Jimmy Butler picked a fight with center Dwight Howard. 

Butler was blocking Howard when it turned very physical between the two. So much so that they pushed each other off the court and the teams had to come and separate them. Jimmy wrapped his arms around Howard’s waist, and that’s when the tangle went out of the bounds. Have a look at what happened-

Miami Heat can not afford an ejection here!

Both Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler had fouled in Q1. One such show of excessive aggression from Jimmy Butler could have turned very expensive for the Heat had he received a flagrant foul. The leader of the pack can not afford to be irresponsible as he got to hold his nerves, at least in the initial quarters when his team needs a solid foundation to work on.

Dwight Howard had nothing on the board by Q1 in his nine minutes of play while Jimmy G. Buckets had added 8 points, 2 rebounds, and 4 assists in his 11 minutes. By half time, the Heat were 60-56 ahead with Butler being the point leader with 22 points.

A point guard as strong as Butler is a must-have for the entire length of the game. Although with Jimmy, it is his natural way of playing the game as him being a more physical player who loves contact. But one must remember it’s Game 5, where one wrong move can cost huge.