Dwight Howard was back on the court Wednesday, playing for the first time since Jan. 23 and the decision days later to shelve him, rehabilitate his knee, and bring him back in time for a late-season push to the playoffs.
To the Rockets, the night marked the next step in his rehab rather than its end. But to Howard, those 16½ minutes were joyous, evidence that all those weeks of pushing himself through those grueling workouts would be rewarded.