Lost in James Harden’s 45 point explosion, is the possibility that Dwight Howard could miss game five in Golden State, after losing his temper and popping Andrew Bogut in the mouth.
Howard was issued a flagrant-one foul after the play, but CBS Sports is reporting that Howard’s blatant elbow could be upgraded to a flagrant-two, causing him to be suspended for game five.
The league will no doubt review the play Tuesday, and should they decide to upgrade it, Howard could face a suspension in Game 5 vs. the Warriors Wednesday. This is where the decision to not issue the flagrant two can become complicated. Losing Howard might have led to a Warriors comeback in Game 4, but the Rockets did have a comfortable lead throughout the game, even as Golden State closed to within six late. Losing Howard for the entirety of Game 5 would put Houston not just against the wall, but between the wall and another wall of giant spikes. Still, the important thing is getting the call right. Unfortunately, the playoffs have provided such inconsistency on the issue, it’s hard to tell exactly what getting it right means.
You don’t want the suspension of an NBA star lingering over game five, but Howard’s elbow wasn’t a basketball play, and he’s likely to sit.