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NBA will not suspend Dwight Howard for elbowing Andrew Bogut

By Josh Criswell

May 23, 2015; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Rockets center Dwight Howard (12) warms up before the game against the Golden State Warriors in game three of the Western Conference Finals of the NBA Playoffs at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
May 23, 2015; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Rockets center Dwight Howard (12) warms up before the game against the Golden State Warriors in game three of the Western Conference Finals of the NBA Playoffs at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports /
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Dwight Howard lucked out big time by not being handed a suspension for an elbow thrown at the Warriors’ Andrew Bogut.

Dwight Howard and the Houston Rockets were worried a potential suspension stemming from an elbow thrown during a scuffle with Golden State Warriors center Andrew Bogut, but it turns out that there will be no punishment handed down by the NBA.

The Rockets NBA playoff dreams carried on with a sliver of hope, manhandling the Warriors while staring elimination and a 3-0 deficit in the face. That hope would have completely vanished with the team’s only true defensive anchor Howard being sidelined with a suspension.

The play in question is shown below:

The sequence begins with a blatant foul by Bogut in the paint that was not called, in which the Warriors center shoves Howard from behind and grabs his left arm. Howard, angered by a combination of Bogut’s actions and the no-call by the officials, swings his left arm back in Bogut’s direction, making contact to the face.

Howard could have been ejected and given a Flagrant 2 foul, but was only given a Flagrant 1 instead, allowing him to remain in the game. After further review over the course of the past day, the league office decided that an upgrade to a Flagrant 2, which would result in an automatic suspension, was not necessary.

"“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 told USA Today. “It was with the back of the hand, and open hand, and Howard was trying to extricate himself.”"

Is the play worthy of a suspension in the Western Conference Finals?

That argument is up for discussion, and can go either way. It also does not matter because it will not be happening.

All that matters at this point is that Howard will be back in action for Game 5 tomorrow night in Oakland, Calif., and if the Rockets maintain their momentum from yesterday’s win, they could be on the verge of a historic comeback.

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