Rockets Dwight Howard suspended after swiping ref's hand during game

HOUSTON -- Rockets Dwight Howard has been suspended for one game for swiping a referee's hand during Saturday night's loss to the Washington Wizards.

Howard will sit out Tuesday's game against the Miami Heat.

Howard had 20 points and seven rebounds for the Rockets on Saturday but was ejected for the second straight game.

Howard, who leads the NBA with 12 technicals, was kicked out after tussling with Wizards center Nene with 8:08 to play in the fourth quarter. After Howard and Nene were tangled up, they pushed each other. Referee Mitchell Ervin extended his arm to keep Howard at bay, but the Rockets center pushed the arm down and walked away as Nene yelled at him. Howard later apologized for pushing the referee's arm down.

The suspension comes after a source told ESPN.com that the Rockets petitioned the NBA to rescind the four technical fouls administered to Howard over the past two games.

Also, Rockets interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff was fined $10,000 for criticizing the officials in Saturday's loss to Washington, according to a source.

The Associated Press and ESPN contributed to this report.