Dwight Howard to play Sunday, sit Monday

The Houston Rockets are expected to stick to their plan for center Dwight Howard, which means resting him for one half of every back-to-back. 

With games on Sunday and Monday, Howard knew he'd be sitting one out, but he wasn't sure which. Now we know. 

Howard will play Sunday night against the New Orleans Pelicans, the Houston Chronicle's Jonathan Feigen reports, meaning that unless the Rockets suddenly decide to deviate from the plan, Howard will rest for Monday's game against the Charlotte Hornets.

This appears to be a strategic decision as much as anything, with the Pelicans posing a far bigger challenge (and Howard in particular being necessary to help defend Anthony Davis), and the Rockets locked in a four-way battle for seeds two through six in the unforgiving Western Conference.

Howard will likely continue to play somewhere in the 24-28-minute range. He's averaged 16.7 points and 11 rebounds in his last three games.