With just over five minutes remaining in the third quarter in Wednesday’s game between the Lakers and the Nuggets, Kenneth Faried received a pass from Ty Lawson on a screen and roll play, and went down the lane in an attempt to score.
Dwight Howard was there waiting for him, and opted for the hard foul on Faried rather than playing legitimate defense, or attempting to get in position to block the shot.
The problem for Howard was, he went straight for Faried’s face instead of making a play on the ball, and that’s where the contact was made that sent the Nuggets’ most active big man crashing to the floor.
The play was reviewed by the officials, and they determined it was a category two flagrant foul, one that comes with it an automatic ejection.
Faried was giving the Lakers fits, and had 19 points and 13 rebounds -- eight offensive -- in his first 26 minutes of action.
Howard may have been trying to put a stop to that, but the method he chose was a poor one, and now he’ll await word from the league offense to see if additional penalties will be assessed for his actions in the form of a fine or suspension.