Cousins Feels Target on His Back After NBA-high Ninth Technical Foul

SACRAMENTO -- Monty McCutchen, Matt Boland and Aaron Smith met their technical foul total for the year Monday night in Sacramento. In a wild up and down game, the officiating crew called seven techs, including six for the visiting Lakers.
 
Los Angeles’ head coach Luke Walton started the action, picking up two techs trying to defend Julius Randle with 4:14 left in the first quarter. The first year coach got so steamed that he hastily took his jacket off before heading to the locker room. 
 
Randle picked one up as well as the Kings erased a 17-14 Lakers lead on freebies. In the third quarter, D’Angelo Russell said something someone didn’t like and Lou Williams picked one up for “inadvertently” slapping DeMarcus Cousins across the bridge of the nose in the fourth quarter.
 
In addition to all of these whistles, Cousins and Brian Shaw were called for a double-tech in the third quarter for trash talking in front of McCutchen.
 
“I don’t understand what he saw,” Cousins said from his locker room stall. “B-Shaw and me talk trash since I’ve came into this league. Friendly trash talk, he (McCutchen) didn’t like the curse words me and B-Shaw said so he gave us techs.”
 
Cousins has nine technical fouls on the season, which is by far the most in the league. At his current pace, Cousins is on pace to pick up more than 28 technical fouls on the season.
 
“It is what it is,” Cousins said. “I’ll talk to the league. We’ll see what happens, but I can guarantee this, it won’t be the last.”
 
In past seasons, Cousins has been called for a variety of technicals, but plenty were aimed directly at NBA officials. That hasn’t really been the case this season. 
 
Three of Cousins’ calls have been of the double-tech variety, none of which even came remotely close to escalation. He picked one up on Friday against the Knicks for tossing a ball in the air. 
 
He was also assessed one after the fact for tossing his mouthpiece down while standing in the stands and another questionable call for catching a player on a follow-through a la Draymond Green. 
 
“I’ve gotten a tech for getting fouled and accidentally hitting...I don’t know what to do anymore,” the 26-year-old center said. “It’s been awhile since I’ve just went up to a ref and cursed him out. So I really don’t know what to do.”
 
“I see how some guys talk to the refs and it’s okay, and then there’s me,” Cousins added. “And then there’s me. Like I said, it just depends on their mood.”
 
Cousins is just seven technicals away from the maximum of 16. Once he hits the limit, he would receive a one-game suspension from the league, including a lost game check. After reaching the maximum, the player receives an additional suspension after every two technical foul calls.
 
If Cousins doesn't reign it in, this technical foul issue will get expensive very quickly.

Copyright CSNBY - CSN BAY
Contact Us