Dwight Howard listed as ‘questionable’ for Thursday night’s Game 2
Just one day after an ineffective Game 1 performance against the Golden State Warriors, Rockets’ big man Dwight Howard is listed as questionable for Game 2.
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Dwight Howard is one of the best centers in the NBA and he’s playing in one of the biggest series of his life as the Houston Rockets are down 1-to-0 in the Western Conference Finals against the Golden State Warriors.
The Warriors silenced the big man in Game 1, holding him to just seven points on 3-of-7 shooting with five turnovers and three personal fouls in 26 minutes. He looked to be slowed by an apparent knee injury despite having 13 rebounds.
After the game, it seemed as if Howard was favoring his right leg because his left knee looked to bother him a bit.
Now, the news is that the Rockets’ center may miss a crucial Game 2 on Thursday night at Golden State with an apparent knee injury that hasn’t been specifically named as of yet. It could be anything from a bruise to a sprain, but most likely the former of the two.
Rockets list Dwight Howard as questionable with "a left knee injury."
— Jonathan Feigen (@Jonathan_Feigen) May 20, 2015
If he can’t go on Thursday, that would surely give the Warriors an upper-hand to go up 2-to-0 in the conference finals. Howard is a bit of an X-factor in the series as the Warriors shut him down in Game 1, leading to a four point victory at home.
Golden State doesn’t have a dominant big man that can slow down Howard throughout the series so the Rockets are hoping he can stay healthy. In the playoffs thus far, Howard has been somewhat dominant, averaging 16.4 points, 13.8 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game.
He has shown flashes of his old self and helped the Rockets overcome a 3-to-1 series deficit against the Clippers in round two to make it to the Western Conference Finals.
Golden State is the heavy favorite to come out of the West and if it goes up 2-to-0 on the Rockets heading into Game 3, the chances that Houston comes back again are slim to none. Although, Houston became the comeback kids last round and shocked the rest of the league.
Howard will need to get healthy and if it means sitting out an extra game and giving his team a disadvantage and possible 2-0 hole, so be it. The team would much rather have a healthy Howard for the whole series instead of a hampered one.