NBA Playoffs 2015: Rockets Dwight Howard Diagnosed with a Sprained Knee

Houston Rockets Dwight Howard has been diagnosed with a sprained left knee. He is questionable for Game 2 of the Western Conference finals against the Golden State Warriors.

"It was very painful to play last night and coach just felt like it was best that I sit out the rest of the game but there was nothing I could do," Howard said on Wednesday.

Howard underwent an MRI after he suffered an injury during the first quarter of Tuesday's game, which the Rockets lost 110-106. The scan revealed no structural damage, which is a good sign for the Rockets. Howard, however, is dealing with a lot of soreness.

The center said after Wednesday's practice, "It's very sore, it started during the game. It's another test."

He added, "I'm not going to let this situation defeat me."

During practice today, Howard participated in roughly half of the morning shoot around. He wore a black brace over his left knee and stated that he was feeling "pretty good."

"Hopefully, it feels a lot better tonight," Howard said. "I believe that it's going to be healed. I'm not going to try to worry about it too much. I'm going to try to prepare for tonight. I want to be out there but the most important thing is that I'm out there for the whole series."

In Game 1, Howard played 26 minutes and recorded seven points with 13 rebounds. If Howard is unable to start in Game 2, the Rockets will have to rely on backup rookie, Clint Capela. In game one, Capela scored nine points and recorded four rebounds in 12 minutes.

"We'll play other people, we won't play four on five, I promise you," coach Kevin McHale said Wednesday. "We'll deal with that tomorrow, I'm not going to speculate, we'll see how Dwight feels tomorrow and we'll adjust accordingly."

Howard has not officially been ruled out for Game 2. He is also expected to return and play in this series.

Game 2 is scheduled for today, May 21 at 9:00 p.m. ET on ESPN.