National Basketball Association

Rockets' Howard reportedly scheduled to have MRI on knee

Published May. 20, 2015 6:10 a.m. ET

foxsports

Tuesday's Game 1 loss to the Golden State Warriors might be the least of the Houston Rockets' problems.

Center Dwight Howard is scheduled to undergo an MRI exam Wednesday on his left knee after injuring it during his team's 110-106 loss to open the Western Conference Finals, according to multiple reports.

Howard suffered the injury in the first quarter when teammate Josh Smith fell back and collided into him. According to ESPN, Howard, who was limited to seven points and 13 rebounds in 26 minutes, is unsure whether he will be ready to play in Thursday's Game 2.

"It's very painful," Howard told the media after the game. "I tried to play it off as much as possible, but I couldn't give my teammates what I needed to give them."

Howard was limited to 41 games in the regular season due to issues with his right knee. He is averaging 17.2 points and 13.8 rebounds in the postseason; his rebounds the most by any player in these playoffs.