Dwight Howard caught using Stickum on hands vs. Hawks

Houston Rockets center Dwight Howard was apparently having some trouble holding onto the basketball against the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday night, so he resorted to the oldest trick in the book: Spraying his hands with Stickum.

Howard applied the adhesive substance while waiting at the scorer's table to check into the game. After he touched the ball, it didn't take long for Hawks forward Paul Millsap, who was at the line shooting free throws, to notice something was up.

Here's what ensued, as reported by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Chris Vivlamore:

Official Monty McCutchen grabbed the ball and went to each bench to issue a warning, saying "Stickum is illegal in the NBA." After first going to the Hawks bench he made his way toward the Rockets bench. Rockets coach J.B. Bickerstaff slid in front of the can, still at the scorer’s table. McCutchen noted he knew what Bickerstaff was hiding.

The warning was as far as it went, and no penalty was given to Howard or the Rockets - though the can was promptly removed from the scorer's table, according to Vivlamore.

"I've never felt the ball like that ever," Millsap said after the game. "It was sticky. It seemed like super glue was on there."

The ball in question was reportedly delivered to the officials after the game, and the incident is under review by the NBA.

Howard doesn't feel he did anything wrong, despite McCutchen calling it illegal.

"I don't know why people are making a big deal out of it," he said after the game, according to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. "I do it every game. It's not a big deal. I ain't tripping."