Hawks' Dwight Howard: Ruled out Friday vs. Nuggets

Howard (back) will sit out Friday's game against the Nuggets, Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Analysis:

Howard has missed the last two games with a lingering back injury and will remain sidelined Friday, as he needs further time off for added rehab. The Hawks have gone small in each of the last two games, pushing Paul Millsap to center and having Kyle Korver, Kent Bazemore and Thabo Sefolosha at shooting guard, small forward and power forward, respectively. They could opt to keep that unit together yet again Friday, but otherwise, Mike Muscala is an option to push into the starting lineup at center. Howard will have the weekend off prior to his next opportunity to play on Monday against the Timberwolves.