Howard turns back clock off bench in Lakers' win

LOS ANGELES -- There were less than five minutes left in the fourth quarter Sunday and the Los Angeles Lakers were up by 16 over the Charlotte Hornets when Frank Vogel subbed Dwight Howard out, signaling the end of his night.

As Howard made his way to the bench with a smile plastered to his face after a perfect night -- he shot 8-for-8 from the field and had 16 points, 10 rebounds, four blocks and a plus-minus of plus-23 in 23 minutes off the bench -- the Staples Center crowd let him hear it.

The warm standing ovation for Howard near the end of the Lakers' 120-101 win was far different than the derisive boos he'd become accustomed to as a visitor in the building, cycling through five teams in…