After Jaime Jaquez Jr.’s homecoming in Mexico City last week, the Miami Heat’s second-year forward was forced to spend some time at home in Miami because of a stomach illness. But Jaquez rejoined the Heat in Denver after missing two straight games with his stomach ailment.

He’s listed as questionable for Friday night’s matchup against the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena because of “return to competition reconditioning.” “I think I had a little stomach flu, stomach virus, something of that sort and I felt it coming back from Mexico,” Jaquez said to Heat TV and radio broadcaster Jason Jackson in Denver following the Heat’s shootaround on Friday morning. “I ate something from a store, it didn’t sit well with me. So for the past couple days, I’ve been dealing with that. But I’m feeling a lot better now. So I decided to come back and join the team. Here I am.” Jaquez is feeling better, but he’s still working to regain some of the strength that he lost during the last few days in the wake of his stomach illness. That has his status for Friday’s game still up in the air. “I think the staff does such a great job of making sure us as players are in the best possible shape to return to play,” Jaquez said. “So I just trust in their process and whatever they believe in. They’re the professionals. I try to communicate with them to the best of what I’m feeling and go from there.”

The last game Jaquez played in came in Mexico City, when the Heat defeated the Washington Wizards on Saturday. It was a special night for Jaquez, who is the first player with Mexican citizenship to be selected in the first round of the NBA Draft. But since then, Jaquez has been forced to watch two straight games on TV because of his stomach illness. The Heat lost both games that he missed. “It’s definitely frustrating not being out there playing with my guys,” Jaquez, 23, said. “But being a spectator gives you a new perspective on the team. I can come back and share what I see from an outside perspective. Not being there, just looking at the game from afar. So just trying to bring that perspective, talking to the coaches, give input on what I saw and things that we can do better and things I feel like here’s a spot I could have been in. Honestly, just happy to be back with the guys.” Jaquez, who has been used in a sixth-man role off the bench to begin his second NBA season, entered Friday averaging 9.4 points, 7.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game in five appearances this season.

“He looks good,” Spoelstra said of Jaquez after Friday’s shootaround. “He’s got to regain some strength. But it definitely is good to have him back in the mix.” While Jaquez’s status is still uncertain, the Heat has already ruled out Kevin Love (return to competition reconditioning), Josh Christopher (G League) and Keshad Johnson (G League) for Friday’s game against the Nuggets. Love missed the first five games of the season because of personal reasons before rejoining the team earlier this week. But Love will sit out his third straight game on Friday — after returning to the team — as he works his way back into game shape. The Nuggets remain without Vlatko Cancar (right ankle sprain), Aaron Gordon (right calf strain), PJ Hall (G League) and DaRon Holmes II (right Achilles tendon repair) against the Heat. But Denver upgraded guard Jamal Murray to questionable after he missed the last three games while in concussion protocol.