After missing nearly two months with an injured right knee, Houston Rockets center Dwight Howard appears to be close to returning.
Howard was back at practice this week but did not specify a date he plans to play again.
“I had a good eight weeks of really training and working on my body and mentally I feel good, physically I feel great, so I can’t wait to get back on the floor,” Howard said Wednesday.
Howard has missed the past 23 games and the Rockets have gone 15-8 without him. At 45-22, Houston has the fourth-best record in the Western Conference.
When Howard does return, he said he will not play on back-to-back nights for the remainder of the season and likely would average about 20-25 minutes per game.
“I will be back when I feel I am in the best shape but also my body is healthy enough to play and maintain myself,” Howard said. “The important thing is to make sure this doesn’t happen again because we want to make a deep push in the playoffs this year.”
In 32 games this season, the 6-foot-11 Howard is averaging 16.3 points and 11.0 rebounds.