Houston Rockets: Will Ryan Anderson Make Shots in Game 3?

Ryan Anderson has shot the ball horribly in his first two playoff games this year, but his team isn’t too worried. The Houston Rockets power forward shoots better on the road anyway.

In games one and two combined, Ryan Anderson shot 0/11 from three. For a player who hit over 40% of his long range attempts in the regular season, that’s pretty terrible. He just couldn’t get anything going. By the second half of game two, he started passing up open threes to drive or dish to someone else. The Houston Rockets won without his effort, but it was much closer than it should’ve been.

Ryno was acutely aware of how poorly he’d performed. Immediately after the game, he went back out onto the court to work on his three ball, just to see some shots go in at the Toyota Center.

After #Rockets beat OKC to go up 2-0 Ryan Anderson (1-8, 0-7 from 3) back on the court shooting 3s: "Sometimes u just want to c a few go in" pic.twitter.com/klimKDCmM4

— Mark Berman (@MarkBermanFox26) April 20, 2017

The Rockets are up 2-0, but it took a bit of luck to win game two. To win in Oklahoma City, they’ll need some solid production from Anderson. The good news about that is that he consistently shot more accurately on the road than at home this season. A quick Twitter search for “#RoadRyan” will tell you all you need to know, but here are the undeniable stats: in 2016-17, he shot an exceptional 46.5% from three in away games compared to just 33.2% in Houston.

The reason for such a large discrepancy is unknown, but it bodes well for the Rockets going into games three and four. Even if his slump continues, however, James Harden wants him to keep shooting. He knows Ryan is a shooter and that he’s practiced his three pointer enough to where it’ll fall eventually.

.@JHarden13 is giving Ryan Anderson the benefit of his experience while Ryan works through getting his shooting back on track. #Rockets pic.twitter.com/R7Rq7poduU

— Mark Berman (@MarkBermanFox26) April 21, 2017

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Tonight, the Rockets will probably play for the toughest crowed they’ve faced all year. Playoff atmosphere makes things heated already, and OKC fans do not like Patrick Beverley or James Harden. They’ll look to shower Houston with boos all game long, and it’ll make things inherently difficult.

With that in mind, the Rockets will need an extra boost that an accurate-shooting Ryan Anderson can provide. If he still can’t hit, Russell Westbrook might be able to do enough to steal game three.

You’d be hard-pressed to find a fan who doesn’t expect Houston to win the series, but getting a first round sweep would be even better. Let’s hope Anderson can help secure the historically fatal 3-0 lead for the Houston Rockets tonight.

Next: 3-on-3: Thoughts From a Rockets and a Thunder Expert

Tip-off is at 8:30 CT tonight, and the game will be on ESPN. Tune for some premier #RoadRyan action!

Ryan Anderson has shot the ball horribly in his first two playoff games this year, but his team isn’t too worried. The Houston Rockets power forward shoots better on the road anyway.

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