Anderson will sit for two weeks

Rockets forward Ryan Anderson is expected to miss two weeks with a sprained right ankle, but the Rockets were relieved after tests that the injury was not more serious, allowing him to return before the end of the regular season.

“All the MRIs and tests came back negative and great,” coach Mike D’Antoni said. “Now, it’s just a matter of time.

“They’re saying two weeks. So be it. The important thing is he can play two or three games before we get in the playoffs and it looks like he’ll be on that timetable. We won’t push it.”

Anderson sprained the ankle Friday when he stumbled while defending the Pelicans’ DeMarcus Cousins in the closing minutes.

With Sunday’s win over the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Rockets are 3-2 in games Anderson has missed. If he misses two weeks, he would return April 9 against the Sacramento Kings in his hometown.

“You can’t predict how fast an ankle sprain is going to heal,” Anderson said. “It’s getting better each day, put pressure on it. I just felt a pop. I rolled it and it immediately started swelling. But we have a plan of action to make sure that swelling goes down. It’s not a terrible sprain. It feels pretty strong for the most part.”

Anderson said the two-week timetable “is a conservative approach.”