(CNN) Friendly rivalries are common on the basketball court, but Tristan Thompson might have taken it a bit too far at a game between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday.

The Cavaliers forward was ejected in the third quarter after slapping Grizzlies' Jae Crowder on the butt. It was Thompson's second technical foul.

Referee crew chief Ken Mauer called Thompson's slap to Crowder's backside a "physical taunt."

Thompson denied any ill will.

"It's a former teammate of mine, Jae Crowder. We have history," Thompson told reporters after the game. "It's just a little competitive spirit. They might have took it the wrong way, probably because they might have forgot that we were teammates for half a year."

Read More