The dual blows came almost simultaneously at the outset, Jimmy Butler lost for the night in the first quarter as Nikola Jokic was setting the tone for yet another triple-double. So, no, not a good night for Butler and the Miami Heat in Friday night’s 135-122 loss to the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena, but very much a typical night for Jokic, who not only recorded his third consecutive triple-double, but for the third consecutive game had a triple-double before the end of the third quarter. “We have to be a lot better,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. In falling for the fourth time in five games, the Heat made it nine consecutive regular-season losses in Denver, again unable to overcome the mountain of a man that is Jokic, just as the challenge of the 7-foot, 284-pound big man proved too much for the Heat in the 2023 NBA Finals. Jokic closed with 30 points, 14 assists and 11 rebounds, fueling a Nuggets attack that also included 28 points from guard Jamal Murray and 21 apiece from forward Michael Porter Jr.