By Doug Reardon, USA TODAY

UPDATE: Brendan Haywood weighed in after team practice on Sunday:

"It is what it is. Stan (Van Gundy) made his comment. I haven't gotten a call from anybody, so I guess no one's listening," Haywood said. "Dwight (Howard) doesn't have a problem with me, I don't have a problem with Dwight. The only person that has a problem here is Stan ..."

Haywood also pointed out that Howard isn't shy about mixing it up: "I think Dwight caught me with more shots than I caught him. He's the most physical player in the league."

Original post: Basketball is a physical game, but Dallas Mavericks center Brendan Haywood may have taken that interpretation a bit too literally.

Orlando Magic coach Stan Van Gundy told OrlandoMagic.com that Haywood punched Magic superstar center Dwight Howard in the lower back during their game on Friday night in Orlando.

"It's really ridiculous and I want to get it on film and send it in (to the league office)," Van Gundy told OrlandoMagic.com on Saturday. "Haywood just punched him literally with a closed fist right in the back."

Howard missed team practice Saturday, citing the incident as the cause. He did see a specialist for the issue and Van Gundy expects Howard to play in Sunday's game against the Denver Nuggets.

Dallas defeated Orlando 100-98, with Howard putting up 19 points and 15 rebounds.

Contributing: J. Michael Falgoust