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Dwight Howard Won’t Be Suspended for Game 5
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All posts by Basketball InsidersUpdated2 hours ago on April 25, 2024
Houston Rockets Dwight Howard will not be suspended for Game 5 of the Western Conference finals, the NBA said on Tuesday.
Had the NBA upgraded Howard’s flagrant foul one in Monday’s Game 4 to a flagrant foul two, he would have missed Wednesday’s game. Howard has three flagrant foul points in the playoffs and four flagrant foul results in an automatic suspension during the postseason.
“The feeling was that, although it was a very close call, I want to emphasize that because it was a blow to the face, it was not with an elbow,” NBA president of basketball operations Rod Thorn said. “It was with the back of the hand, and open hand, and Howard was trying to extricate himself.
“Bogut had his arm over Howard’s arm, trying to extricate himself. As he did, he flailed his arm backwards and hit Bogut in the face. My feeling was it unnecessary which comes under the guise of flagrant one but it was not unnecessary and excessive.”
Thorn also explained the difference between Howard’s action and the action that earned Hawks F-C Al Horford a flagrant foul two in Game 3 against the Cavaliers.
“Howard’s contact was in part to extricate himself. It was unnecessary but not excessive. With Horford, the contact was in retaliation as Horford himself said. He was upset because he felt (Matthew) Dellavedova dived into his legs. That fits the criteria for unnecessary and excessive.”
