Game time: 7 p.m., United Center, Chicago  

TV: FanDuel Sports Network 

Betting line: Heat +1

VITALS:  

The Heat and Bulls meet for the second of four regular season matchups and the second of a back-to-back after just playing the Magic last night. Earlier this season, Miami recorded a, 143-107, win in Chicago on November 21. With their game originally scheduled for January 8 being postponed, the HEAT and Bulls will now play each other three consecutive times with a game tonight, Saturday and Sunday. It is one of the rarest schedule stretches in league history. The Heat are 65-68 all-time versus Chicago during the regular season, including 37-29 in home games and 28-39 in road games. Bulls assistant coach Dan Craig served as an assistant coach for the Heat from 2012-20 as a part of 17 total seasons within Miami's organization (2003-20). The Bulls also recently retired the jersey of legend Derrick Rose, who was the 2011 MVP before injuries slowed his career. The Heat are coming off a disappointing loss to the Orlando Magic, where they were again badly outplayed in the third quarter. 

PROJECTED STARTERS

HEAT

G Norman Powell 

G Kasparas Jakucionis 

C Bam Adebayo 

F Pelle Larrson

F Andrew Wiggins

BULLS

F Isaac Okoro

F Patrick Williams

C Nikola Vucevic

G Matas Buzelis

G Coby White 

INJUY REPORT

HEAT

Tyler Herro: Out (ribs)

Terry Rozier: Out (Not with team)

Vladislav Goldin: Out (G League)

Jahmir Young: Out (G League)

BULLS

Zach Collins: Out (Toe)

Noa Essengue: Out (Shoulder)

Josh Giddey: Out (Hamstring)

Kevin Huerter: Out (Back)

Yuki Kawamura: Out (G League)

Jalen Smith: Out (Concussion)

QUOTABLE 

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra on the defensive woes of late: "We can score in bunches. We can score as well as anybody in this league, but when we don't defend, that's been pretty consistent all year, and we pay the price for that."

More Miami Heat News:

- "Heat's Explosive Offense Shuts Down Kings' Beam"

- "Heat Positioning For Future Superstars"

- "Eastern Conference Rival Eyeing Heat's Two-Way All-Star"

- "Jonathan Kuminga 'Welcomes' Heat as Potential Next Destination"

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Shandel Richardson is the publisher of HeatRoundtable. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com