I’ve had it
with DeMarcus Cousins.
After actinglike a 2-year old in 2010-2011 and acting like a 3-year old in 2011-2012, it
seems the impossible has happened – the former Kentucky Wildcat has regressed
back into his 2-year old self.
Check that,
I believe I’m insulting all 2-year olds out there, my little 23-month old
daughter included. I mean, toddlers don’t ever get suspended for anything
foolish they do because, well, they’re toddlers. One expects them to be foolish
and act like, er, babies.
But Cousins
is different. He’s all of 22 years old and STILL my daughter seems more mature
than him. I tell my kid to stand in the corner when she does something a little
too foolish (like drop the iPad – wait, who handed it to her anyway?!), and she
does it. She goes to the corner. She stands for a few seconds and flashes me
her adorably cute can-you-let-me-play-now-papa face. Of course I let her.
Cousins, on
the other hand, is petulant to the core. Keith Smart scolds him for being
ineffective, which Cousins has been in varying degrees and at varying times
this season, and he yells back, hurling profanities without thinking of the
consequences. Without thinking if he has a case in the first place. Without
minding his place. Methinks he could be related to Latrell Sprewell.
Then Cousins
gets benched for the rest of the game and gets suspended INDEFINITELY.
I hate the
fact I had faith he’d break out this season. I hate the fact I picked him as my
keeper instead of Jrue Holiday or Rudy Gay. Stupid me – I guess I deserve him
after all.
Get this –
DeMarcus Cousins is so friggin’ bad he makes Andew Bynum look like a
squeaky-clean boy scout. And what has Cousins done of late? He fired his agentand hired someone who, historically, has had bad relations with the Kingsorganization.
Cue the slow
clap.
A 2-year old
in a 22-year old’s body. And here I thought the NBA had a minimum age limit.
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| DeMarcus Cousins gets himself in hot water AGAIN after having yet ANOTHER altercation with a DIFFERENT Kings coach. (image by Steve Yeater/AP) |
Game
Recaps (courtesy of the Sports Network):
December
21, 2012:
Minnesota 99, Oklahoma City 93
The
Minnesota Timberwolves used a fourth- quarter scoring barrage from J.J. Barea
and a solid all-around effort from Kevin Love to halt the Oklahoma City
Thunder's 12-game winning streak in a 99-93 decision at Target Center. The
Timberwolves, losers of 12 straight against their Northwest Division rivals
coming in, had allowed five consecutive opponents to score over 100 points, but
held the NBA's highest scoring team to 40 percent shooting. Barea erupted for
14 points in the final frame, while Love added 28 points, 11 rebounds and seven
assists for Minnesota, which improved to 8-3 at home. The Thunder were led by
Kevin Durant's 33 points, seven rebounds and six assists, though it wasn't
enough to extend the club's longest winning streak since relocating to Oklahoma
City. Russell Westbrook finished with 30 points, 11 boards and nine helpers,
but shot just 9-of-28 from the floor and committed eight turnovers.
Miami 110, Dallas 95
LeBron James
logged 24 points, nine rebounds and five assists and was able to watch from the
sideline in the fourth quarter as the Heat annihilated the Mavericks in a
110-95 mismatch at American Airlines Center. After losing in the aforementioned
Finals series, Miami swept Dallas last season with a pair of double-digit
decisions and led by as many as 36 Thursday by shooting 54 percent from the
field. Dwyane Wade contributed 19 points and six assists while Chris Bosh added
17 points in the lopsided victory, Miami's fifth in its last six games. The
short-handed Mavs shot just 39 percent from the floor and an even worse 3-of-22
from 3-point range to lose for the fourth time in five games. Jae Crowder had a
team- high 15 points in defeat.
Portland 101, Denver 93
Nicolas
Batum poured in a game-high 22 points on Thursday, as the Portland Trail
Blazers took advantage of a woeful shooting night from the Denver Nuggets to
take a 101-93 victory at the Rose Garden. With starting center LaMarcus
Aldridge sidelined with a left ankle injury, J.J. Hickson carried the load down
low with 18 points and 18 rebounds, while Wesley Matthews donated 20 points for
the Blazers, who have won four straight games for the first time since March
2-8, 2011. Denver netted 74 points in the paint, but made just one field goal
outside the painted area and set an NBA record for most missed three-point
attempts without a make after going 0-for-22 from long range to snap a
three-game winning streak. Ty Lawson, Andre Iguodala and Corey Brewer each
scored 13 points in the setback, Denver's sixth straight in Portland.
December 22,
2012:
Atlanta 92, Chicago 75
Al Horford
recorded a double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds, as the Atlanta Hawks
cruised past the Chicago Bulls, 92-75, on Saturday. Lou Williams added 16
points for the Hawks, who snapped a two-game skid. Kyle Korver and Josh Smith
tallied 13 and 12 points, respectively. With the win, Larry Drew became the
eighth Atlanta head coach to reach 100 wins. He did it in 173 games, which is
the second-fastest behind only Hall of Famer Lenny Wilkens, who hit the
milestone in 166 games. Luol Deng and Joakim Noah ended with 11 and 10 points,
respectively, for the Bulls, who had a two-game winning streak snapped.
Detroit 96, Washington 87
Charlie
Villanueva led five Detroit players in double figures with 19 points as the
Pistons downed the Washington Wizards, 96-87, at the Verizon Center. Rodney
Stuckey added 18 points and eight assists and Greg Monroe chipped in with 13
points and eight boards for the Pistons, who beat the Wizards 100-68 in Detroit
on Friday. Jason Maxiell and Brandon Knight added 12 and 10 points,
respectively, in the triumph. Jordan Crawford poured in a game-high 21 points
while Emeka Okafor and Bradley Beal added 14 points apiece for Washington, who
have dropped seven straight to fall to an NBA-worst 3-22.
Miami 105, Utah 89
LeBron James
poured in 30 points to go with nine rebounds and seven assists as the Miami
Heat took care of the Utah Jazz, 105-89, on Saturday at American Airlines
Arena. James shot 11-for-20 from the floor and scored at least 20 points for
the 29th consecutive game. Dwyane Wade netted 21 points and added six rebounds
and seven assists for the Heat, who improved to an impressive 13-2 at home this
season and have won four straight overall. Shane Battier started in place of
Chris Bosh, who missed the game due to illness, and finished with 15 points for
Miami. Ray Allen donated 13 points in the victory. Marvin Williams netted a
team-high 16 points, while Gordon Hayward finished with 15 points on 5-of-8
shooting for the Jazz, who have dropped four of their last five. Paul Millsap
and Derrick Favors chipped in 11 and 10 points, respectively, in the setback.
Houston 121, Memphis 96
James Harden
scored a game-high 31 points and also dished out eight assists, as the Houston
Rockets continued their home dominance over the Memphis Grizzlies with a 121-96
victory on Saturday. Harden was one seven players in double-figures for the
Rockets, who extended their home winning streak over the Grizzlies to 13
straight games. Marcus Morris scored 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting -- including
3-of-4 from beyond the arc -- and Omer Asik tallied a double-double with 14
points and 12 rebounds to give Houston its fourth consecutive home victory.
Houston also got a great game out of Jeremy Lin, who totaled 15 points, 11
assists and six boards. Memphis came into the contest winners of four in a row,
but the league's top defense could not stymie the hot-shooting Rockets, who
converted 53.7 percent of their field goals for the game. Mike Conley led all
Memphis scorers with 16 points and Zach Randolph finished with 10 points and 10
rebounds.
Indiana 81, New Orleans 75
David West
scored 25 points and made a key jumper with 16 seconds remaining, as the
Indiana Pacers erased a 22-point deficit to beat the struggling New Orleans
Hornets, 81-75, on Saturday. Paul George added 17 points and 12 rebounds for
the Pacers, who have won three in a row. George Hill and Lance Stephenson
tallied 12 and 10 points, respectively. Robin Lopez ended with 24 points and 11
boards for the Hornets, who have lost 11 straight games. Greivis Vasquez
donated 14 points and Anthony Davis had 10 points and nine rebounds.
Cleveland 94, Milwaukee 82
Dion Waiters
scored 18 points to lead a balanced Cleveland scoring attack as the Cavaliers
downed the Milwaukee Bucks, 94-82, at the BMO Harris Bradley Center. C.J. Miles
chipped in with 16 points and Kyrie Irving scored 15 for the Cavs, who snapped
a six-game losing skid. Tristan Thompson had 14 points and 14 rebounds, Tyler
Zeller dropped in 11 points to go with 10 boards and Alonzo Gee chipped in 10
points in the win. Monta Ellis scored a game-high 37 points for the Bucks, who
have dropped three of their last five.
Denver 110, Charlotte 88
Kosta Koufus
led seven Denver players in double figures with 16 points on 8-of-10 shooting
as the Nuggets thumped the Charlotte Bobcats, 110-88, on Saturday at Pepsi
Center. Kenneth Faried netted 15 points to go with nine rebounds, while Andre
Iguodala added 15 points on 6- of-9 from the floor with eight rebounds and
eight assists for the Nuggets, who have won four of their last five games.
JaVale McGee scored 14 points and Danilo Gallinari added 12, while Jordan
Hamilton and Corey Brewer contributed 11 and 10 points, respectively in the
victory. Ramon Sessions had a game-high 23 points on 8-of-13 shooting, while
Byron Mullens donated 16 points and 14 rebounds for the Bobcats, who lost for
the 15th consecutive game.
Portland 96, Phoenix 93
After
several poor shooting nights, Damian Lillard bounced back with a big
performance on Saturday. The Trail Blazers' rookie scored a game-high 25 points
on 7-of-13 shooting and hit a huge jumper late to help the Trail Blazers to
their fifth straight win in a 96-93 victory over the Phoenix Suns. J.J. Hickson
posted a double-double with 19 points and 15 rebounds for Portland, which
received 17 points and nine boards from LaMarcus Aldridge in his return from an
ankle injury. Nicolas Batum scored 13 points to go along with nine rebounds and
eight assists in the win. The Suns came in winners of four straight, but were
outplayed by Portland in the second half. Marcin Gortat led Phoenix with 18
points and nine rebounds and Shannon Brown followed with 15 points in the
setback.
LA Lakers 118, Golden State 115 (OT)
The Los
Angeles Lakers are getting their pieces back at the same time they're playing
their best basketball of the season. Kobe Bryant tallied his eighth straight
30-plus point game and 400th of his career in the Los Angeles Lakers 118-115
overtime win over the Golden State Warriors. Bryant finished with 34 points on
16-of-41 shooting to go with 10 rebounds for the Lakers, who have won a
season-high four straight games. Steve Nash, who had 12 points and nine
assists, returned to the starting lineup following a 24-game absence after
sustaining a non-displaced fracture to his lower left leg on Oct. 31. Nash came
back three days after Pau Gasol rejoined the Lakers following an eight-game
absence because of tendinitis in his knees. David Lee recorded 20 points and 11
rebounds, while Stephen Curry provided 20 points, eight rebounds and seven
assists for Golden State, which has dropped two of its last three contests.
December
23, 2012:
Brooklyn 95, Philadelphia 92
Joe Johnson
scored 22 points and the Brooklyn Nets halted a three-game losing streak with a
95-92 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers in a battle of slumping Atlantic
Division clubs from the Barclays Center. Johnson made good on 3-of-5 attempts from
three-point range to pace a balanced Brooklyn scoring attack. Deron Williams
added 16 points and both Gerald Wallace and Brook Lopez finished with 14 for
the Nets, who briefly broke open a tie game with a 14-6 run over a five-minute
stretch in the fourth quarter and held on down the stretch. Jrue Holiday,
playing for the second time since returning from a four-game absence due to a
sprained left foot, amassed 24 points and nine assists for Philadelphia.
Thaddeus Young put up 18 points and 10 rebounds in the setback, the Sixers'
sixth in their last seven outings.
New York 94, Minnesota 91
Carmelo
Anthony scored 19 of his 33 points in the fourth quarter, including the
go-ahead basket with 1:13 remaining and the New York Knicks held on for a 94-91
victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves at Madison Square Garden. Anthony added
seven rebounds and made 10-of-11 from the free-throw line, including several
huge ones down the stretch, while J.R. Smith contributed 19 points and seven
assists for the Knicks, who have won two of their last three and will tangle
with the Lakers in Los Angeles on Christmas Day. Tyson Chandler netted 16
points to go with nine rebounds, while Raymond Felton donated 15 points in the
victory. Nikola Pekovic scored a team- high 21 points and ripped down 17
rebounds, while Alexey Shved added 18 and five rebounds for the Timberwolves,
who played without Kevin Love due to an eye injury. Luke Ridnour netted 14
points, while J.J. Barea and Dante Cunningham gave 12 points apiece in the
setback.
Utah 97, Orlando 93
Jamaal
Tinsley, starting in place of an injured Mo Williams, hit a go-ahead 3-pointer
late in the fourth quarter as the Utah Jazz came back and beat the Orlando
Magic, 97-93, at Amway Center. Tinsley finished with 11 points and four assists
and was one of six Jazz players scoring in double figures. Paul Millsap led the
way with 18 points, while Gordon Hayward added 17 on 7-of-10 shooting. The
Jazz, who trailed by as many as 16, split their four-game road trip despite
Williams sitting Sunday due to an injury to his right thumb, which will keep
him out indefinitely. Arron Afflalo paced the Magic with 20 points, but shot
just 3- of-12 from the field following a 13-point opening quarter. Nikola
Vucevic totaled 16 points and 16 rebounds, while J.J. Redick and Jameer Nelson
each netted 14 points in the loss, Orlando's second straight since losing Glen
Davis to a shoulder injury.
San Antonio 129, Dallas 91
Danny Green
led a San Antonio three-point barrage by tying a career-high with seven triples
en route to a career-best 25 points in the Spurs' 129-91 thrashing of the
Dallas Mavericks on Sunday. 13 different players scored for a Spurs team that
shot an incredible 66.7 percent (20-of-30) from beyond the arc in spoiling the
return of Mavs' superstar Dirk Nowitzki, who missed the first 27 games of the
season for Dallas due to a knee injury. Tony Parker poured in 18 points and Tim
Duncan tallied 15 points, five rebounds, four assists and two blocks in the
Spurs' second consecutive victory. Kawhi Leonard contributed 17 points and five
steals. In his return, Nowitzki came off the bench and finished with eight
points and six rebounds in just over 20 minutes of play. Darren Collison led
all scorers for Dallas with 15 points in the club's third straight loss.
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| Dirk Nowitzki returned to NBA action against the Spurs. He scored 8 points and grabbed 6 rebounds. (image by Darren Abate/AP) |
LA Clippers 103, Phoenix 77
Blake
Griffin and Chris Paul both posted double-doubles as the Los Angeles Clippers
extended their franchise-record winning streak with a 103-77 rout of the
Phoenix Suns at US Airways Center. Griffin finished with 23 points and 11
assists, while Paul filled the stat sheet with 17 points, 13 assists and five
steals for the Clippers, who have now won 13 straight. Jamal Crawford and Matt
Barnes added 22 and 15 points, respectively, off the bench in the victory.
Jared Dudley had 19 points and Luis Scola contributed 11 for Phoenix, which
dropped its second consecutive game on the heels of a four-game win streak.
Markieff Morris totaled 10 points, seven rebounds and five steals in defeat.
Sacramento 108, Portland 96
In the wake
of DeMarcus Cousins' indefinite suspension, the Kings responded with an
impressive performance. Marcus Thornton led six Sacramento players in double
figures with 22 points and the Kings ended the Portland Trail Blazers'
five-game winning streak with a 108-96 victory on Sunday. Without Cousins, who
was suspended for conduct detrimental to the team on Saturday, and an injured
Tyreke Evans, the Kings recorded a season-best 31 assists. John Salmons posted
15 points, seven rebounds and seven assists, while Travis Outlaw and Isaiah
Thomas contributed 15 and 11 points, respectively, in the win. LaMarcus
Aldridge and J.J. Hickson each contributed double-doubles, but Portland was
denied a chance at matching its longest winning streak since a six-game run in
February of last season. Aldridge tallied 22 points and 11 rebounds, while
Hickson totaled 14 points and 11 boards.
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