(CBS HOUSTON) – Dwight Howard will be playing Game Five of the Western Conference Finals. The NBA ruled on Tuesday not to upgrade Howard’s flagrant-one foul from Monday evening’s Rockets victory over the Warriors.
At 8:07 of the third quarter, Howard worked himself out of the grasp of Warriors center Andrew Bogut. However, in doing so, he also swung his arm back and hit Bogut in the face. Howard was called for a flagrant one, but there was a fear that the play could be upgraded to a flagrant two by the NBA league office and that there may be a possible suspension for Game Five.
However, the NBA’s President of Basketball Operations, Rod Thorn, released the following statement about the play on Tuesday:
“Howard was trying to extricate himself from Bogut and recklessly hit him in the face,” Thorn said. “The contact was unnecessary but was not deemed excessive by the officials working the game with the aid of the replay center. And we don’t see a reason to modify that call.”
After missing half the season with various injuries, Howard has averaged 16.3 points and a league-best 13.9 rebounds in the postseason thus far.
