On this week’s Heat Check: What should the Miami Heat do ahead of the NBA’s Feb. 5 trade deadline? And the “Mayor of NBA Threads” tells his story. By Pierre Taylor
The Miami Heat and Chicago Bulls are very familiar with each other. After all, the Heat has ended the Bulls’ season in the NBA’s play-in tournament in each of the last three seasons.
But the Heat and Bulls will get to know each other even better in the coming days, as Thursday’s matchup against the Bulls at United Center (8 p.m., FanDuel Sports Network Sun) will mark the first of three games between the two teams in a span of four days.
After playing the Bulls in Chicago on Thursday, the Heat will return home to face the Bulls in Miami on Saturday and Sunday to complete the teams’ four-game regular-season series. The Heat won the first matchup of the season between the two teams, 143-107, on Nov. 21 in Chicago.
While back-to-back games against the same team is not unusual during the NBA regular season, this will mark the first time in franchise history that the Heat has taken on the same opponent in three straight regular-season games.
In fact, this three-game set between the Heat and Bulls will mark the first time that two teams have played three straight regular-season games against each other since the Baltimore Bullets and Houston Rockets did it in 1972.
A view of a post made by the Chicago Bulls organization on the Jumbotron to notify fans that the game against the Miami Heat has been postponed at the United Center due to court conditions on January 8, 2026 in Chicago. Geoff Stellfox Getty Images
So, how did this odd scheduling quirk happen?
Friday’s game between the Heat and Bulls in Chicago was actually supposed to be played on Jan. 8, but the contest was postponed because of what the NBA labeled as “moisture on the floor rendering the court unplayable.” The game was delayed for more than 90 minutes before it was ultimately postponed.
With the Bulls sharing the United Center with the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks, the humidity that filled the arena once fans entered the building paired with the ice under the basketball court led to moisture on the playing surface. United Center officials tried to lower the temperature in the arena to combat the condensation, but it didn’t work.
“It was an unfortunate situation,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said earlier this month, with the Heat scheduled to fly to Chicago for Thursday’s rescheduled game immediately after Wednesday night’s matchup against the Orlando Magic at Kaseya Center. “Our guys had really prepared, and I felt like emotionally, we were geared up and ready to compete. Everybody was really looking forward to it. And it’s just an odd situation to be in like that.”
In a pool report after that Jan. 8 game was postponed, crew chief Sean Wright explained when the slippery court conditions were first noticed.
“At 9:13 on the warm-up clock, some Miami players came and said the court was real slippery and at the same time some Bulls players came over as well,” Wright said. “So, I checked the court conditions, and then I immediately got on the horn and notified the Replay Center what was going on.
“We tried to work together to see if we could fix the problem. We had ongoing talks and tried some different stuff on the court, and nothing seemed to work.”
While a makeup date was not immediately announced, the NBA announced a few days later on Jan. 12 that the postponed Heat-Bulls game at United Center had been rescheduled for Thursday. Because the Heat already made its originally scheduled trip to Chicago in early January for a game that eventually postponed due to court conditions at United Center, a league source said the Heat does not need to foot the bill for this week’s trip to Chicago for Thursday’s rescheduled contest.
With the Heat originally scheduled to host the Magic on Wednesday and then host the Bulls in Miami on Friday and Sunday, the NBA moved Friday’s matchup against the Bulls to Saturday to avoid having the Heat play on three straight nights since the adjusted schedule has the Heat taking on the Bulls in Chicago on Thursday following Wednesday’s game against the Magic in Miami.
But to fit in Thursday’s rescheduled game against the Bulls, the Heat will play four games in five days this week for the lone time this season — Wednesday vs. Magic, Thursday at Bulls, Friday vs. Bulls and Sunday vs. Bulls. Such stretches have previously been eliminated by the NBA, with the exception of extenuating circumstances like these.
“It’s my first time being a part of something like that,” Heat captain and center Bam Adebayo said of the postponed and eventually rescheduled game in Chicago. “... Obviously, we were ready to play. But you got to kind of figure out what’s going on and you got to stay mentally prepared. But after an hour of just sitting there, you start to die down. So, I’m glad they rescheduled it.”
INJURY REPORT
The Heat could again be without starting guards Tyler Herro and Davion Mitchell on Wednesday against the Magic.
Herro, who has missed the past six games with a rib injury, has already been ruled out for the contest. But Mitchell, who has missed the last three games with a left shoulder sprain, is listed as questionable after not practicing on Tuesday.
Heat center Kel’el Ware returned to practice on Tuesday after missing the last four games with a strained right hamstring and is also questionable to play on Wednesday.
In addition, Heat guard Norman Powell is questionable for Wednesday’s matchup against the Magic after playing through low back tightness in the last few games.
Along with already ruling out Herro, the Heat will also be without Vlad Goldin (G League), Terry Rozier (not with team) and Jahmir Young (G League) against the Magic.
Meanwhile, the only two Magic players on the injury report are Colin Castleton (G League) and Franz Wagner (left high ankle sprain injury management). Castleton and Wagner will miss Wednesday’s game in Miami.