The Los Angeles Lakers continue to deal with injury problems in the second half of the 2012-13 NBA season as Dwight Howard struggles to return after re-aggravating a shoulder injury in the loss to the Phoenix Suns in the first game of a this seven-game road trip.
Howard was re-evaluated for the injury and was listed as day-to-day. The consensus was that Howard would be able to return on Tuesday night against the Brooklyn Nets at the Barclay’s Center, but it appears that won’t be the case according to Mike Trudell of Lakers.com via Twitter:
Dwight Howard said he is not playing tonight at Brooklyn. He’s feeling a bit better, but still has pain & doesn’t want to re-injure himself.
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) February 5, 2013
Howard’s presence in the paint will be sorely missed by the Lakers on Tuesday with the team going up against Brook Lopez and company. The Lakers were able to get the best of the Nets in their first meeting earlier in the season, but without Howard in the paint they’ll be at a disadvantage against first-time All-Star Lopez.
Metta World Peace will also be out of the lineup on Tuesday night due to a suspension for a punch thrown at Brandon Knight of the Detroit Pistons.