Dwight Howard knocked out of loss to Pistons with sprained ankle

Houston Rockets center Dwight Howard did not return to Wednesday's loss to the Detroit Pistons after suffering an ankle sprain in the first half.

The big man bumped into teammate Ty Lawson while the point guard was attempting to drive to the Pistons basket. Both players were knocked down on the play but Howard took slightly longer to get back on his feet and looked in pain while on the court.

Howard had his ankle re-taped and was expected to return after the incident before the Rockets decided to err on the side of caution and shut down the center for the rest of the game. He finished with two rebounds.