IT’S OFFICIAL: ROCKETS TO PLAY THUNDER IN FIRST ROUND.
The Rockets’ first-round playoff matchup was set Saturday.
With the Clippers’ win in San Antonio, Oklahoma City is locked into the sixth seed and an openinground series beginning next Saturday or Sunday at Toyota Center.
The Rockets won three of the four meetings with the Thunder this season, most recently taking a 137128 win at Toyota Center on March 26. The Rockets held double-digit leads in all four meetings, but they lost the first meeting 105103 in Oklahoma City.
The series will offer a matchup of the top two MVP candidates in OKC’s Russell Westbrook and James Harden, former teammates with the Thunder. Westbrook averaged 36.3 points, nine rebounds and 9.3 assists against the Rockets this season. Harden averaged 20.5 points, 7.3 rebounds and 12.3 assists against the Thunder.
The Thunder are second in the NBA in rebounding and rebounding percentage, a key to a series against the Rockets. Oklahoma City is ranked 16th offensively and 10th defensively.
Anderson happy to visit home
As much as forward Ryan Anderson was pleased to be cleared to play in Sacramento on Sunday, his happiness with the timing of his comeback from a sprained ankle was more about playing at all than playing in his hometown.
Anderson returned Friday after two weeks out with the ankle injury and returned to Sacramento on Saturday with a day off to see family and friends. But he viewed Sunday as a chance to get ready for the playoffs.
“Conditioning is different from when you run on a treadmill or do other exercise than it is on the court,” Anderson said. “It is a lot more physical. The biggest test was how the ankle was going to feel getting hit and awkward movements. It felt good.”
Anderson played 13 minutes Friday before sitting out the second half. The Rockets intend to gradually increase his workload through their three remaining games. He said his games in Sacramento no longer generate the attention at home they did early in his career, though he enjoys them, especially after the Kings’ struggle to build Golden 1 Center and remain in Sacramento.
“It’s very anticlimactic when I come back to Sacramento now,” Anderson said. “My first year I had like 350 tickets I had to get for people, my church, everybody. That was exciting. Now, I have like four tickets this game. I’m going to hang out with my sister and my brother-inlaw. It’s not like it was. I’m old news, man.
“I love going back home. It’s definitely a great opportunity to see family and friends, which I don’t get to do very often. The new arena, it’s great to go see where that city’s come, where the team’s come. All that adversity, it’s good to see. There’s a lot of great things going back home.”
Gordon accepts sixth-man role
Rockets guard Eric Gordon had started the first five games Ryan Anderson missed, but he returned to his sixthman role as the Rockets worked to re-establish their planned rotation before the start of the playoffs next weekend.
“We have to lock in on what we need to do the rest of the way,” Gordon said. “I’m going to be coming off the bench. It’s good to get Ryan back. We just need to get together and play well these last couple games.
“We’ve always had good chemistry all year. When guys are out, the next guy steps up. But it’s always better to have everybody on the floor and really acclimate yourselves before the playoffs start.”
Gordon has struggled with his shot in recent weeks, making 15 of 49 of his 3-pointers in his past six games, with the Rockets planning to give him a game off in the back-to-back at the Kings and Clippers.
As playoffs near, rebounding key
With the Rockets to open the playoffs next weekend against Oklahoma City, one of the NBA’s top rebounding teams, they have had mixed results on the boards in recent games.
They outrebounded Denver on Wednesday. But after a strong start, they were badly beaten on the boards when Detroit grabbed 13 offensive rebounds in the second half Friday.
Much of that could be attributed to having their centers out, with Clint Capela getting the night off and Nene playing only in the first half.
But for the Rockets, improving the rebounding has been considered especially important in the final games of the season with the Thunder awaiting them in the postseason.
“We’re always stressing it,” coach Mike D’Antoni said. “We’re always trying to get better habits. We’re always trying to box out, put a body on somebody. If they mess up, we show them.
“We are who we are, but we’re trying to get better at it.”