DeMarcus Cousins was ejected and then un-ejected on one of the strangest endings of the season, in the midst of a 55-point game. This was the move to give him 54 and put the Kings up 121-119 plus a foul.
DeMarcus Cousins got ejected then unejected for accidentally spitting out his mouthpiece
Cousins had just scored his 54th in a one-possession game, and he went back to the locker room before the referees reversed his ejection.
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But as Cousins celebrated his and-one, his mouthpiece came out near Portland’s bench. From one angle, it looked like he might have spit it at them. One referee called a technical foul, Boogie’s second of the game, resulting in an automatic ejection.
But another ref saw it as an accident, and after a brief review, the crew took back the technical.
“I called a technical foul because I thought DeMarcus threw his mouthpiece into the stands when it ended up underneath the Portland bench,” said official Brian Forte (via CSNNW) who initially called the technical on Cousins. “I conferred with my partners and they confirmed that he did not throw the mouthpiece and that it came out of his mouth and that’s how it ended up there.”
Here’s another angle:
Cousins had already sprinted back to the locker room, and so he had to return to the court. Since it was an and-one, he was immediately put at the free-throw line, making the shot.
The Kings won, 126-121, and Cousins’ final line was 55 points on 17-of-28 shooting and five threes, plus 13 rebounds and three blocks.
Trail Blazers big man Meyers Leonard didn’t hold back when sharing his feelings about Cousins.
During Boogie’s post game interview he may or may not have had his microphone cut off as he was visibly upset over how the game ended. In Boogie’s words, it was “ridiculous.”
King’s sideline reporter Kayte Christensen cleared up the mic issue during the interview.
On Wednesday morning, Cousins, who was fined for a verbal altercation with a Sacramento Bee columnist, posted a video on Instagram. The post was a conversation between actor Denzel Washington and a reporter, where Washington went on a rant about the media’s desire to be first over factual.
But Cousins welcomed reporters with smiles after the Kings’ win over the Blazers, saying he made it back to the locker room and was searching for something to tear up before his technical found was rescinded.
