After missing the previous three games, he (Dwight Howard) returned to the court Thursday night and had nine points and nine rebounds before fouling out of the Lakers’ 116-95 loss to the Celtics.

Asked if he felt pressured to return, Howard said: “No, I didn’t.” Howard said he had been targeting the Boston game to return if he could, even though teammate Kobe Bryant – who played through a labrum tear in 2003 – had been publicly noting the need for Howard to learn to manage his pain.

via Kevin Ding of The Orange County Register