McHale’s hand being forced

INDIANAPOLIS — There is no set return date for Dwight Howard , but coach Kevin McHale said it must be soon.

After the team’s 110-100 win over the Pacers on Monday, McHale said he might have to start putting Howard back into games.

“We are so down on bodies and we don’t have a lot of practice time,” McHale said. “We might have to start throwing him out there and letting him get some minutes in the game, whether he starts out 15-20 minutes and getting game time. But he has to start playing here pretty soon because otherwise the season is just going to go by and you can’t wait for the playoffs to come back, so we’ll see.”