After the Miami Heat lost to the Chicago Bulls Thursday night off the tail-end of a back-to-back, they will try to get their revenge Saturday in the rematch. Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra spoke before the game to the media about the upcoming matchup and the possible secret weapons the team has to get back in the win column.

Those aforementioned “secret weapons” come in the form of Josh Richardson and Haywood Highsmith who both have been out with injuries dealing with their back. Spoelstra would open his pre-game press conference by saying those two add another dimension to Miami that's been missing.

“He's [Highsmith] a Swiss army knife defender who knows how to fit in with whatever lineup. He's really improved in all facets and we saw that early on,” Spoelstra said. “And also J-Rich [Richardson] being out. Him being back just gives us a whole lot of versatility as well.”

Highsmith was last seen on Dec. 2 against the Indiana Pacers where he only played three minutes, re-injuring his back. He showed out in the team's miraculous run in the playoffs last year and has shown to be a defensive staple this season. For Richardson, he's only missed the past two games with a headache originally, but then had back spasms as he averages 10.3 points per game.

Spoelstra speaks on Heat's rematch against Chicago

Miami Heat's Erik Spoelstra, Jaime Jaquez Jr., and Jimmy Butler.

There's been a ton of two-game series against the same team recently for the Heat as they faced the Charlotte Hornets last Monday and Wednesday and before Saturday's game, they also faced the Bulls Thursday night. It was a horrid start for Miami in their last matchup as they were overwhelmed by Chicago's three-point shooting, going down 33-8 in the first quarter.

The Heat would dwindle their lead down to four points at one point in the game, but it was too big of a hole to overcome as they left the Kaseya Center with a loss. Spoelstra has been used to these series of facing the same squad twice in a row or the idea of a back-to-back, but also acknowledged he wanted a win Thursday.

“We would have rather gotten the first win the other night but that's, that's sometimes this league, things don't always go your way or how you want it to and you'd have to respond collectively,” Spoelstra said. “We're disappointed about that game, particularly our start in the first quarter. But we have another opportunity. Everybody's been dealing with this a little bit more you know since COVID. They've put in a few more of these back to back so everybody is kinda used to it now.”

Will Miami's Jaime Jaquez Jr. slow down?

Who was once a secret weapon, but now a possible conversation starter for opposing teams has been rookie sensation Jaime Jaquez Jr., who's made Heat fans turn heads. In his last seven games, he's been averaging 19 points per game and even led the last contest with 22 off the bench.

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However, the question remains, is there room for regression since he is a rookie? Spoelstra said there is a chance he doesn't because of how “mature” and “emotionally stable” the 22-year old player out of UCLA is.

“You don't want to necessarily anticipate those kinds of things. He's very mature. He's mentally and emotionally stable. So I think that puts him ahead of the game,” Spoelstra said. “Even though he doesn't know all the tendencies of the league or even know exactly all of our schemes and how we do things, he knows how to compete, he knows how to figure things out and make an impact on the scoreboard. That kind of trumps everything. He's been able to manage all that because of those strengths that he has.”

The Heat could use some momentum in Saturday's game against the Bulls, especially since their next game will be Monday against the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference in the Minnesota Timberwolves. Currently, Miami is 14-11 which puts them seventh in the Eastern Conference.