by Adi Joseph, USA TODAY Sports

Dwight Howard can’t shoot. The Los Angeles Lakers center is such a bad free throw shooter, he laughs at his airballs.

But Mike D’Antoni preaches fun basketball, and with the Lakers up 16 against the Denver Nuggets at the end of the fourth quarter, Howard got a moment to smile.

Howard buried the second three-pointer of his career to tie a Lakers franchise record as the team’s 17th of the game in a 122-103 win Friday. He then high-stepped down the court with a smile wide enough to engulf the Earth.

The make gave Howard 28 points to go along with 20 rebounds and three blocks. His only other three-pointer came on Jan. 5, 2007, for the Orlando Magic against the Charlotte Bobcats. Howard had not even attempted a three this season and now is 2-for-34 in his career.

Surely this is an evolution, though. Howard knows three-point shooting means less wear and tear on his body, so he plans on becoming a marksman. This is only natural. Jason Kidd never used to shoot threes, either, and now he’s one of the most efficient marksmen in the NBA.

Or maybe not. Maybe this was an aberration. But we all had fun.

… [For more on Dwight Howard makes second three-pointer of career, click here.]