Pacers guards T.J. Ford and Jarrett Jack had to be separated during a timeout midway through the third quarter against the Mavericks on Friday night.

The argument began on the court, and the two players had to be separated and teammates attempted to calm Jack down.

Indiana coach Jim O'Brien sent Jack back to the locker room, and momentarily bench Ford after the incident.

"We had a situation where Jarrett and T.J. had a dispute on the court," O'Brien said. "I subbed for them and didn't want to carry it over. I asked Jarrett to take the rest of the night off. That was my decision."

Jack left Conseco Fieldhouse before the media was allowed to enter the locker room after Indiana's loss to Dallas, but O'Brien says that he'll be active for Saturday's game against Charlotte.

"I think it was the heat of the moment," Ford said. "At the end of the day you really don't want the fans to see that going on, especially during the game when you have kids. I want to apologize for my actions and what took place."