Fouls out in 13 minutes, picks up flagrant, technical

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LOS ANGELES — It was the primary preseason sport within the NBA this season, each star participant on each groups sat it out (aside from one quarter of Anthony Davis), and it seemed sloppy for lengthy stretches, as one ought to count on from a sport 5 days into coaching camp.

Dwight Howard was already in midseason kind.

In 13 minutes of motion Sunday in opposition to the Nets’ reserves, Howard fouled out, picked up a flagrant foul, was goaded right into a technical by James Harden, and drew possibly the loudest ovation of the day from Lakers followers for his actions.

Howard got here off the bench and picked up fouls at a Summer time League tempo the minute he set foot on the courtroom. He was bodily inside, which meant his minutes weren’t at all times fairly, however he did have 11 factors on 3-of-7 capturing by the top of the sport. The physicality in the end meant he fouled out.

Howard’s sixth foul got here on a play the place he obtained a flagrant due to an inadvertent however strong elbow to the face of the Nets’ Day’Ron Sharpe. It was Sharpe who obtained the preliminary unfastened ball foul, however within the wrestle for place after that, Howard’s elbow caught Sharpe cleanly. The referees didn’t see it initially, in order that they stopped play to evaluate the footage.

Whereas that evaluate was occurring, Harden walked out and goated Howard into the technical, as this footage from Ben Simmons of the Washington Put up confirmed.

When the referees completed their prolonged evaluate, they let Dwight Howard take a free throw for the unfastened ball foul — Howard drained it — then realized he couldn’t take it as a result of he was fouled out and was presupposed to be on the bench. The Lakers crowd cheered Howard as he went to the bench, he egged them on some, after which DeAndre Jordan stood and hugged Howard.

Malik Monk led the Lakers with 15 factors, whereas Cameron Thomas scored 21 for the Nets, who gained the sport 123-97.