Hawks' Dwight Howard: To start at center Monday

Howard (back) will play in Monday's matchup with the Timberwolves, Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Analysis:

Howard has missed the last three games with back spasms, but after going through warmups without any additional setbacks, he's now been given the green light to play. He'll start at center and doesn't expect to be on any sort of minutes restrictions, so he should see his minutes trend towards his season average of 29.2. Look for both Kris Humphries and Mike Muscala to see a decreased role with Howard back in the lineup.