SACRAMENTO, Calif. — DeMarcus Cousins returned from a brief ejection and finished with a season-high 55 points, capping a wild day for the hot-tempered big man and sending the Sacramento Kings past the Portland Trail Blazers 126-121 on Tuesday night.
Hours after he was fined by the Kings for his profanity-laced tirade against a newspaper columnist last week, Cousins pulled down 13 rebounds and rallied Sacramento in the fourth quarter.
He made two huge 3-pointers and scored 17 points in the fourth to avenge an earlier overtime loss this season in Portland. The win snapped Sacramento’s seven-game losing streak to the Blazers.
It appeared Cousins’ night was over before the game had ended. In the final minute, he put the Kings back in front when he drove the lane for a layup and was fouled by Mason Plumlee.
Cousins initially was given a second technical foul and ejected for spitting his mouth piece in the direction of Portland’s bench after making the shot. He ran into the locker room, but the officials huddled and changed the call.
Cousins returned to the court and made the free throw for a three-point play, giving the Kings a 122-119 lead with 35 seconds left.
Earlier Tuesday, the Kings issued Cousins a “substantial fine” Tuesday for a recent altercation with a Sacramento Bee reporter.
Cousins said in a team statement that he chose the wrong time to confront Bee columnist Andy Furillo about an article he wrote that referenced Cousins’ brother, Jaleel.
The Sacramento Bee reported the fine was for $50,000.
Cousins pointed a finger in Furillo’s face during a profanity-laced tirade on Dec. 12 following a win against the visiting Los Angeles Lakers.
“Like most people, I am fiercely protective of my friends and family, and I let my emotions get the best of me in this situation,” Cousins said. “I understand my actions were inexcusable and I commit to upholding the professional standards of the Kings and the NBA.
“I apologize to my teammates, fans and the Kings organization for my behavior and the ensuing distraction and look forward to moving on and focusing on basketball.”
Kings coach Dave Joerger said he is “not going to spend another thought” on the issue. On Monday, Joerger called Cousins’ actions “excessive” but also said he did not think the Bee was practicing fair reporting in regard to Cousins.
“I think we dealt with it and the more you talk about it, the bigger it exasperates itself,” Joerger said before the Kings played Portland on Tuesday night. “I said what I had to say on it, moved on. DeMarcus had to say what he had to say on it and we roll on.”
Cousins had 55 points and 13 rebounds in a 126-121 win over the Blazers on Tuesday night. He was ejected for apparently spitting out his mouthpiece after being fouled with 35 seconds left. He went to the locker room, but then the ejection was rescinded. Cousins returned to complete a three-point play and put the Kings up 122- 119.
