Report: Dwight Howard suspended for Tuesday’s game against Heat
Houston Rockets center Dwight Howard reportedly has been suspended for Tuesday’s game against the Miami Heat as a result of pushing aside the arm of a referee during Saturday’s 123-122 loss to the Washington Wizards, reports ESPN’s Calvin Watkins.
The incident in question occurred when Howard was ultimately ejected following a physical altercation with Wizards center Nene during the fourth quarter.
Seen't this coming: Nene vs Dwight Howard. Love it. (Vine by @Truth_About_It) https://t.co/l6d14AWiIX
— WizardsTalk (@WizardsTalk) February 1, 2016
After referee Mitchell Ervin attempted to get in between the two players, Howard pushed the official’s arm down as he walked away.
Nene and Dwight Howard ejected in fourth quarter of Wizards-Rockets game https://t.co/AXR4IevkvR https://t.co/XfmCo23MvM
— Sportando (@Sportando) January 31, 2016
Howard has since apologized for his conduct, but Rockets head coach J.B. Bickerstaff blasted officials, saying, “It’s not fair the way the referees ref Dwight,” before stating that his star center suffered injuries as a result of the physical play of the Wizards. Bickerstaff has since been fined $10,000 by the NBA for his critical comments.
Howard leads the NBA with 12 technical fouls on the season and he was also ejected from Houston’s game Friday against the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Rockets petitioned the league to rescind the four technical fouls Howard was assessed in the two games. It’s apparent that the league didn’t comply with the Rockets’ request.