Jimmy Butler scored 18 points in his return to the Miami Heat lineup, playing 33 minutes in a 133–113 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Friday night.
Friday marked the end of Butler’s seven-game suspension, but his future with the franchise remains cloudy. Fans inside Kaseya Center gave Butler a mixed reception when his name was announced during pregame introductions.
Jamal Murray led the Nuggets with 30 points and Nikola Jokić collected a triple-double with 24 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists. Denver improved to 25–16 with the victory, keeping hold on the No. 4 spot in the Western Conference standings.
For Miami, Tyler Herro scored 22 points, followed by 16 points and 11 rebounds from Bam Adebayo. The Heat is now 20–20 for the season, dropping a half-game below the Detroit Pistons to the No. 9 spot in the East.
Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra said before Friday’s game that he was interested in only basketball-related questions and believed the players would perform as these “complexities” surround the team.
“We work in a league of complexity,” Spoelstra said, via ESPN’s Tim Bontemps. “We’re in an unusual place right now, but really all it is is complex, and we fully plan on operating within this complexity. It’s my job to prepare this team and get it ready to play at a high level, and that’s what I’m doing. That’s what the plan is. My methods for doing it are really none of your business. You’re all looking for drama, I’m looking for getting this team ready to play at a high level.
“And as far as silly questions like, ‘What is the temperature of the room?’ or ‘How is everybody feeling?’ that just sounds so dramatic. We’re professionals, we’re fine, we’re ready for tonight’s game, and that’s the only thing that matters. We’re looking forward to getting back on the wood. We’ve been on the road for a while, and we’re complete, so we’re looking forward to getting this thing tipped off.”
Reports circulated before Butler’s return that the team was contemplating extending his suspension, but that never materialized. With his return imminent, Butler built up the hype for his first game since Jan. 2.
Butler’s agent, Bernie Lee, released a statement on Friday evening emulating Michael Jordan’s two-word announcement when he returned to the NBA in 1995: “I’m back.”
Butler continued the theme, posting several photos of himself on social media wearing the No. 45 Chicago Bulls jersey Jordan wore when he came back.
The last time Butler was on the floor with the Heat, he scored nine points with four assists against the Indiana Pacers in 27 minutes.
Following the game, he told reporters, “I want to get my joy back” and said that probably wouldn’t happen in Miami. The team suspended Butler the next day for “multiple instances of conduct detrimental to the team.”
Tensions between Butler and the Heat became public after Miami was eliminated from the NBA playoffs by the Boston Celtics. Butler missed the entire five-game series with a knee injury suffered during a play-in loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. He irritated team president Pat Riley by saying that Miami would have defeated the Celtics had he been able to play.
Butler’s true issue with Miami is that he wants a contract extension, seeking a two-year, $113 million max extension. However, the Heat aren’t interested in extending Butler, which fueled the veteran’s discontentment and preference to be traded.
Miami next hosts the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday, while the Nuggets finish their two-game Florida swing versus the Orlando Magic.
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