Howard (back) out vs. Jazz; Utah's Gobert returns
HOUSTON — Houston Rockets center Dwight Howard won’t play in Thursday’s game against the Utah Jazz because of lower back tightness.
Howard missed the majority of the preseason and was limited in his play during the early portions of the regular season with back tightness.
Howard has played well this season, averaging 13.9 points per game and ranking third in the NBA with 11.7 rebounds per game. He is second in the league in field goal percentage at .617.
In his last 10 games, Howard averaged 16.6 points and 12 rebounds per game and shot 67.0 percent from the field.
Clint Capela, a power forward, will replace Howard as starting center, and Terrence Jones will move into the starting lineup at power forward.
Howard has now missed seven games, one because of a suspension and the other six because of rest or back-related issues.
While Howard might be out, the Jazz will have rising center Rudy Gobert back in the lineup. Gobert has missed the last 18 games with a left knee ligament sprain, but coach Quin Snyder said Gobert will play, although he won’t start.
Discussing how much the team has missed Gobert, Snyder said, “Just like any team would miss a player of his caliber, the same way the Rockets would miss Dwight Howard and the Spurs would miss Tim Duncan. For us, he’s unique in his value to our team because of what he’s capable of doing on the defensive end.”
Gobert has averaged 9.2 points and 10.9 rebounds per game this season.
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