Jimmy Butler Returns from Suspension, Criticized By NBA Fans as Heat Lose vs. Nuggets

Despite Jimmy Butler's return, the Miami Heat were unable to take down the Denver Nuggets on Friday night.

Miami ended up falling to Denver by the final score of 133-113.

The Nuggets opened the game with a 19-8 lead and never looked back, as they didn't trail for the remainder of the contest.

Butler made his first appearance since Jan. 2 after wrapping up a seven-game suspension for "conduct detrimental to the team" that followed a request to be traded.

The six-time All-Star finished with 18 points, three rebounds and two assists while shooting 7-15 from the field. Butler missed both of his three-point attempts. He also failed to record a steal or a block for the seventh time this season.

Fans weren't impressed with the performance from Butler and the Heat.

Three-point shooting was the difference in the game, as Denver connected on 48.5 percent of its attempts from behind the arc. Meanwhile, the Heat hit just 27.3 percent of their long-range shots.

For the Nuggets, Nikola Jokić finished with a triple-double. He recorded 24 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists while shooting 9-12 from the field.

The Heat fell to No. 9 in the Eastern Conference standings with a 20-20 record, while Denver holds the No. 4 spot in the West at 25-16.