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Howard picks up 7th technical of playoffs, could have been suspended for Game 6

Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports / reuters

Had the Houston Rockets beat the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday night, they could have been without center Dwight Howard in Game 6.

Howard picked up his seventh technical foul of the playoffs in the second quarter after a tussle with Andrew Bogut, who was also assessed a tech.

For Howard, it would have resulted in an automatic one-game suspension for his next contest, unless the league rescinded it. But the Rockets' season is over, and a potential suspension would not carry over into next season, according to CBS Sports' Ken Berger.

This is what got Dwight Howard a technical. Can't see them letting it stand and suspending him.

Given the contact Howard demonstrated, it's conceivable the call could be rescinded. That matters little for the Rockets now, as their season is over, but it's a bookkeeping item that may happen Thursday.

Howard and Bogut have gotten to know each other well in the series. The Rockets' big man already dodged a bullet after striking the Aussie in Game 4 - an incident for which he was assessed a flagrant-1. After speculation the NBA could upgrade the foul to a flagrant-2 - also meaning a suspension - the league decided the Game 4 backhand was not excessive.

Prior to Game 5, Rockets coach Kevin McHale told reporters that Howard should learn to "hit them first" in order to avoid being called for retaliating. On Wednesday, he didn't appear to take all of Bogut's bait.

Howard has been his usual solid defensive self, but on offense coming into Game 5 - he's shooting just under 60 percent for the playoffs - he's also hitting just 34 percent on post-up scoring, according to ESPN's Tom Haberstroh, which is an abysmal number for a franchise center. He finished the series averaging 14.4 points and 14.4 rebounds on 54.9-percent shooting.

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