The Houston Rockets have lost three games in a row to drop their record down to .500 again. This season has found them hovering around the .500 mark, and they seem to be a very mediocre team. What makes the Rockets even more mediocre is when one of their stars isn't on the floor, and that has been the case in their last two games as Dwight Howard has been ejected from both. The Rockets have petitioned the league in an effort to get all four technical fouls rescinded, according to Calvin Watkins of ESPN.
Howard recently missed some time with an ankle injury and was able to return last week. The ankle caused Howard to effectively miss four games, and being ejected in the last two has not allowed him to be on the court as much as the Rockets need him. Howard played 21 minutes and 29 minutes, respectively, in the last two games but wasn't able to be on the floor at the end of the games.
Howard didn't do anything egregious to earn the technicals; he did a few little things that irked the referees and caused him to pick up two separate technical fouls in each game. The Rockets hope that by petitioning the NBA they will see that Howard wasn't deserving of these technicals and they will hopefully rescind at least a few of them.
Even if the NBA does rescind the technical fouls it won't get Howard that time back on the floor but there is a good reason for the Rockets to do this. Howard is currently at 12 technicals this season, which leads the league, and if he reaches 16 technical fouls he will incur a one game suspension, according to NBA league rules. After the one game suspension for the 16th technical foul that player is suspended another game for every two technical fouls after that.
Howard is already dangerously close to receiving a suspension and we aren't even at the All-Star break yet so it is worth it for the Rockets to try to get these last four rescinded. Howard does have a history of getting a lot of technical fouls so it doesn't seem all that likely that the NBA will rule in his favor on this one.
Interim head coach J.P. Bickerstaff called out the refs after the Rockets most recent game because they "didn't protect Dwight." This has become a popular thought process with Howard as he battles through a ton of contact each and every game but we will see if the NBA is on Bickerstaff's side here or if they feel the refs were warranted in issuing those techs to Howard.
