Houston Rockets center Dwight Howard had a procedure on his ailing knee Wednesday morning and will be sidelined at least four weeks, the team announced.
The Rockets says Howard had a bone marrow aspirate injection on his right knee. It was conducted by Dr. Walt Lowe of the Memorial Hermann Sports Medicine Institute in Houston.
Howard will begin rehab immediately and will be re-evaluated in approximately four weeks, the team said. Then it will be determined if he can return or will require more time.
A fluid buildup in the knee prompted the Rockets to rule Howard out of this past weekend’s trip to Detroit and Boston. Sources told ESPN’s Marc Stein at the time that the Rockets were fearing their star center would be gone at least a month.
Pain in the same knee forced Howard to miss 11 games earlier this season.
The Rockets have largely maintained a top-four spot in the West Conference all season despite the time missed by their star big man. The 29-year-old Howard is averaging 16.3 points, 11 rebounds and 1.4 blocks.
