You might say Houston Rockets center Dwight Howard is being eased into the 2015-16 regular season.
Howard will sit out Sunday's game against the Miami Heat with his team on the first night of a back-to-back.
He missed the first game of the season due to a suspension levied from technical fouls in last spring's playoffs. He only played 22 minutes In Friday's loss to the Golden State Warriors. He's expected to be in the lineup Monday when Houston takes on the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Rockets brought back veteran Chuck Hayes on Sunday to provide back up to Howard and Terrence Jones, who is also on the shelf with a cut eyelid.
Howard missed a career-high 41 games last season, mostly with knee problems. The 12-year veteran turns 30 next month.