Rockets center Dwight Howard suspended one game for contacting a referee in Saturday’s game against the Wizards and interim coach B.J. Bickerstaff was fined $10,000 for his comments afterward, the NBA announced Tuesday.
Howard will miss Houston’s home game Tuesday against the Heat.
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He was arguing a foul when he swiped the arm of a referee who was trying to separate him from Wizard Nene Hilario. Howard was ejected after being hit with his second technical foul of the night. It was his second consecutive game ending in an ejection.
Bickerstaff was critical of the officials, saying “they didn’t protect Dwight.”
"It’s tough, but we got to figure it out," Rockets guard James Harden told Fox 26 after Tuesday's shootaround when news of Howard's suspension broke. "This is where good teams are made. There’s 32 games left in the season and we’re still being tested."
Clint Capela will start in Howard's place Tuesday.