Howard was driving to the basket early in the third quarter when he was fouled by Rodney Stuckey (FSY) and landed hard on his right shoulder. He stayed on the floor for several moments before walking off the court in obvious pain.

He stayed on the bench until the next stoppage in play, at which point he went to the Orlando locker room with a trainer. He returned several minutes later, and re-entered the game with 6:19 left in the third.