Howard caught putting sticky substance on ball
Officials in Saturday night’s Houston–Atlanta contest removed a game ball due to a sticky substance that Rockets center Dwight Howard apparently had applied.
According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Howard applied a Stickum spray to his hands from a can covered in white tape while waiting to re-enter the game late in the first quarter.
After Hawks forward Paul Millsap made the first of two free throws, Howard checked back in and grabbed the ball. When Millsap got the ball back, he immediately questioned what was on it.
Official Monty McCutchen investigated, before going to each bench and issuing a warning. According to the Journal-Constitution, McCutchen told each team: “Stickum is illegal in the NBA.”
The newspaper also reported that Rockets coach J.B. Bickerstaff slid in front of the can, which was still at the scorer’s table, in an attempt to hide it before McCutchen approached Houston’s bench.
A member of the Rockets staff ultimately removed the can from the scorer’s table.
Howard was not penalized.
Information from ESPN’s Calvin Watkins was used in this report.
