Butler was ejected for appearing to take a swing at Dan Dickau with 3½ minutes left after Dickau tripped Butler. The trip didn't appear to be intentional.
Butler denied trying to punch Dickau and said he didn't believe he'd receive a suspension. If he does, it'll be for Saturday's game.
"It was just a natural reaction to pull him off my leg," Butler said. "That was it. I've known Dan for a while, he's a cool dude."
Dickau said he didn't know why Butler got ejected.
"It was no big deal," Dickau said. "I kind of got into a crease and didn't make the right decision and we kind of got tangled up. I think my arm must have gotten wrapped around his leg a little bit and he must have thought that I was trying to do something a little more than what I did, obviously. It's too bad he got ejected. I mean, it wasn't anything intentional."
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=241222013
It sure looked like he punched him pretty hard in the gut on TV, though it didn't look like it even hurt Dickau.