Getty Philadelphia 76ers C Dwight Howard is escorted from the court during a game against the LA Lakers.
Thursday night was supposed to a feel-good moment for Philadelphia 76ers teammates Dwight Howard and Danny Green. It was the pair’s big return to Los Angeles after having helped the Lakers capture the Larry O’Brien trophy last year.
However, things didn’t go quite according to plan, particularly for Howard.
He and Green were all smiles ahead of the contest, receiving their 2020 championship rings on the court. The veteran big man and multi-time Defensive Player of the Year was especially pleased, flashing a toothy grin that was wide and bright enough to light up the Staples Center.
Less than 30 minutes later, Howard’s night was done. The Sixers were still able to hold off his former team, beating the shorthanded Lakers 109-101, but the actions that resulted in his dismissal were sharply criticized by Philly coach Doc Rivers after the game.
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Dwight Howard Gets Ejected
With a little over a minute remaining in the first quarter, Howard got tangled up with Lakers big man Montrezl Harrell. In an effort by officials to diffuse the situation, the pair was issued a double technical foul.
Howard, though, was clearly not ready to move on despite getting Td up.
At the conclusion of the period, Howard intentionally walked into Harrell as the latter was attempting to return to the Lakers’ bench. Harrell responded by forcefully pushing him back and continuing on toward the sidelines.
Referee Kane Fitzgerald was quick to intervene, calling a second technical foul on Howard, which resulted in his immediate ejection. As the Sixers center proceeded to plead his case with the official, Harrell turned to back to wave goodbye to his opponent.
Shortly thereafter, Howard was escorted from the court.
A Couple of ‘Clowns’
During the break between quarters, Rivers spoke to Reggie Miller for the TNT broadcast and was clearly unimpressed by what he had just witnessed.
“Clowns; guys who are joking around,” he said of Harrell and Howard. “I mean, it’s ridiculous on both parts. So, I didn’t like it — bottom line.”
Due to the team’s move to trade center Tony Bradley earlier in the day, Howard’s ejection left the Sixers especially thin in the pivot, a fact that Rivers was keenly aware of as he spoke with Miller.
“Yeah, Mike [Scott] has two fouls, I think our next biggest guy is me. So, you know, we’ll see.”
Doc Drops the Hammer
After the game, Rivers was even more critical of his back-up center, offering some very pointed remarks on what had transpired.
“I just thought it was a very selfish play,” he said of Howard’s antics.
“You got one tech, you can’t get another one. We just have to have better discipline. I get it. I know there’s a lot of emotion. But we had one center on our team, and he got thrown out. I was not very happy with that one. I know it’s an emotional game. But he’s a veteran. We got to have better discipline.”
Although Howard’s night didn’t go as expected, Green — the other member of the Lakers’ 2020 title-winning squad — was sensational. The veteran wing scored a game-high 28 points in the win.
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