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Rockets' Howard has fluid buildup in right knee; ruled out for upcoming road trip

Jayne Kamin-Oncea / USA Today Sports

Dwight Howard sat out a second consecutive game for the Houston Rockets on Wednesday with what was initially thought to be an ankle sprain.

The actual reason may be a little bit more worrisome. 

The Rockets announced after the game that Howard had undergone an MRI on Wednesday, which revealed edema (fluid buildup) in his right knee. The team added Howard will be further evaluated in the coming days, but he's already been ruled out for the Rockets' upcoming two-game road trip against the Boston Celtics and Detroit Pistons, according to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle

The right knee is an area of particular concern for Howard, who missed 11 consecutive games earlier this season due to a strain that required plasma-rich protein therapy on the same knee. It's unclear whether the two issues are related.

The 14 games Howard has missed this season are already a career-high. Impressively, the Rockets have managed to go 10-4 in those games, a better record, in terms of winning percentage, than their 22-10 mark with him in the lineup. 

That said, they're still 6.6 points per 100 possessions better with Howard on the floor, and he remains the linchpin of their fourth-ranked team defense. 

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