Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat have each been fined $15,000 for what the NBA deemed as “an obscene gesture” made by Butler in the Heat’s 97-94 Game 5 first-round closeout win over the Atlanta Hawks, the league announced Thursday.
Late in the second quarter, amid a personal 10-0 run by Heat guard Max Strus, Butler stood on the sideline and made a thrusting motion with his hips to celebrate his teammate’s success. The Heat later posted a video of Butler’s gesture to their social media account.
Butler, whose 30.5-point scoring average is the second best in the league this postseason, sat out Game 5 because of inflammation in his right knee
The winner of the Philadelphia 76ers‘ and Toronto Raptors‘ first-round series will face Miami in the second round.