Posted Apr 9 2012 1:24PM
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) -- Magic center Dwight Howard is sitting out Orlando's home game Monday against Detroit because of back spasms.
Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy made the announcement Monday, adding that forwards Ryan Anderson (ankle) and Quentin Richardson (sore back) are questionable. Hedo Turkoglu (eye) is out for the regular season.
This will be the third game Howard has missed in two weeks after sitting out losses to the Pistons and Denver last week with back issues.
Van Gundy says Howard struggled in the fourth quarter of the Magic's win over Philadelphia Saturday, having trouble sitting down during timeouts. Howard will travel to Washington Tuesday, but is also doubtful for that game.
The plan is for him to rest Wednesday and Thursday and hopefully be back for Friday's home game against Atlanta.
 | Pacers Heat Preview Vince, 3D and Bones preview the Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals between the Pacers and the Heat. |
 | GameTime: NBA News The NBA Draft Lottery will be held Tuesday at 8:30 pm on ESPN and the Charlotte Bobcats are expected to change back to the Hornets. |
 | Shaqtin' A Fool Preview The crew preview the best of Shaqtin' A Fool season special premiering Thursday at 7 pm on NBA TV. |
 | Keys to the East Finals The guys talk about Indiana's size advantage over Miami and the Heat's shooting threat from big man Chris Bosh. |
 | Grizzlies-Spurs Game 2 Lookahead The guys preview the Game 2 match-up between the Grizzlies and the Spurs on Tuesday at 9 pm on ESPN. |
Copyright © NBA Media Ventures, LLC. All rights reserved. No portion of NBA.com may be duplicated, redistributed or manipulated in any form. By accessing any information beyond this page, you agree to abide by the Privacy Policy / Your California Privacy Rights and Terms of Use. | Ad Choices 
NBA.com is part of Turner Sports Digital, part of the Turner Sports & Entertainment Digital Network.
