Dwight Howard's first trip back in the Staples Center ended on a sour note. It took the Philadelphia 76ers just 12 minutes before being asked to leave the court early as Howard was ejected for an altercation with Los Angeles Lakers' Montrezl Harrell as the two were heading to their respective benches at the end of the first quarter.

Here's Howard and Harrell getting tangled up prior to getting the techs:

If this move from Dwight calls for an ejection then I probably would have to stop writing before someone blows the whistle on me. In all seriousness though, the call was rather soft seeing that it's early in the game and there weren't a lot of extracurricular activities that occurred between the two.

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Yes, Howard did approach Harrell and give him a solid bump, which Harrell responded to with a shove. The two were seen going at it throughout the contest, or at least the first quarter when Howard was still there. The tensions were definitely flaring up by that point, which the refs could sense and responded to accordingly.

The former Laker did get his 2020 championship ring prior to tip-off so at least he does have that going for him.