As the Washington Wizards ready for their season-opener on Oct. 18, offseason acquisition Dwight Howard's status remains murky. Howard, who has been sidelined for the entirety of the preseason with lower back pain, suffered a setback in his rehab and was sent to D.C. on Monday night to get a pain-relieving back injection.

"We ramped it up a couple days ago, and Saturday he did some with our individual coaches," coach Scott Brooks said via NBC Sports on Monday night. "He woke up with his back a little sore, came with us, then this afternoon met with a specialist." 

The Wizards beat the New York Knicks  110-98 on Monday without Howard but it's undeniable his absence will be felt if he's to miss extended time. As for now, however, it appears a quick recovery is in order so long as he doesn't suffer a setback. Washington's final preseason game is Friday.

"He's going to get a pain-relieving injection and hopefully early next week, he'll be back on the court and be ready to play," Brooks said. "I don't know what that means for the first game, but we're just gonna take it day by day."

Howard, who was acquired this offseason by the Wizards as a replacement for Marcin Gortat, ranked third in the league in rebounds per game last season and fourth in double-doubles. While his MVP-caliber play is far in the rear-view mirror, he could be a nice addition to a Wizards team -- so long as he's healthy -- that is craving to make a leap into contender status in the East.