Rockets’ Howard won’t be suspended for Game 5 vs Warriors

Houston Rockets center Dwight Howard, left, and Golden State Warriors center Andrew Bogut, right, go after a rebound during the first half in Game 3 of the NBA basketball Western Conference finals Saturday, May 23, 2015, in Houston. AP PHOTO

OAKLAND, California— Houston Rockets center Dwight Howard will not be suspended for Game 5 of the Western Conference finals against the Golden State Warriors after the NBA decided to uphold his flagrant 1 foul.

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NBA President of Basketball Operations Rod Thorn says in a statement Tuesday that Howard was trying to free himself from Andrew Bogut when Howard “recklessly hit him in the face with an open hand.”

Thorn says the contact was deemed unnecessary by game officials and the league doesn’t “see a reason to modify that call.”

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Howard received a flagrant 1 foul early in the third quarter after throwing an elbow at Bogut’s head after the Warriors center made contact with him. Howard could’ve been suspended for Wednesday night’s (Thursday, Manila time) game by accumulation of flagrant foul points if the NBA upgraded it to a flagrant 2.

The Warriors lead the series 3-1.