NBA scores 2016: It’s a taxing time to be DeMarcus Cousins

Cousins played another great game, and the Kings lost big again.

Dec 19, 2016, 1:00 PM UTC

NBA: Sacramento Kings at Dallas Mavericks

Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

DALLAS — DeMarcus Cousins draped a towel over his shoulders as he slouched into his chair in the Mavericks’ visiting locker room.

“I’m getting sick, man,” he said to no one in particular.

It’s hard to blame him, given the workload he shoulders nearly every night that has equaled just three wins in Sacramento’s last 10 games. On Sunday, they lost again, trailing nearly the whole way in a 99-79 loss in Dallas.

Cousins is doing more than he ever has for the Kings, rattling off career highs in points (28.1) and usage rate (36.7 percent of possessions) while remaining efficient. Cousins has even added the three-pointer as a viable weapon to his arsenal, hitting 36 percent on nearly five attempts per game. But that doesn’t even matter — Sacramento’s on pace for 32 wins this season, essentially the same trajectory they’ve been on since 2010 and actually slightly worse than last year.

In the loss to Dallas, Boogie roasted an injured Dallas front court for 23 points in the first half, but his team still trailed by 11 points at the break. When Cousins’ trailed off a bit in the second — finishing with 33 — a game within reach slipped into a blowout.

“Yeah, it’s pretty frustrating,” Kings coach Dave Joerger said wryly after the game. “He had a nice ballgame.”

Of course it’s frustrating. Cousins keeps getting better and the Kings keep getting worse, or keep going sideways at least. It’s no wonder Cousins yelled at a reporter last week after a negative column. The on-court frustration is naturally boiling over to off-court ones, too.

So briefly, about that altercation: you can’t condone Cousins screaming at a reporter, point blank. But the columnist in question — Andy Furillo at The Sacramento Bee — doesn’t regularly cover Kings games, has only written about them a few times this year, and has had some particularly ridiculous takes about Cousins over the years, questioning Cousins’ heart and at one point suggesting the Kings waive him. Cousins, an avid reader of the media, understandably doesn’t think too highly of him.

But two wrongs don’t make a right, and it adds another disappointment to the stagnating Kings. Sunday’s loss — “just one of nights where shots aren’t falling,” Cousins said — and the 10-17 record and the marked lack of improvement over the past few years. At this point, it’s really worth wondering if Cousins will still be in Sacramento after the trade deadline.

All that, and now Cousins might be getting sick. That, at least, can improve with some NyQuil. Can the Kings?

Joel Embiid sets a career high

Hello, Joel.

I love these highlights so much. Embiid simultaneously shows his incredibly athleticism, impossible size, ridiculous skill and looks like a drunk giraffe on frozen Lake Michigan. He falls over like five times in a highlight reel and they all somehow end well. Embiid is a unicorn and we do not deserve him.

Embiid shot 12-of-17 from the floor with just one turnover. He dove into the stands for a loose ball and basically trampled several people in the first row. His 33 points were a career high, and he did it in just 27 minutes. Imagine when his restrictions totally come off.

It’ll still be a couple years until we can fully trust that Embiid isn’t going to fall apart and need season-ending knee surgery every time he hits the floor. But the early returns are sensational, and it sure seems he was worth the wait.

Tim Duncan gets a proper sendoff

Duncan’s jersey retirement ceremony was fantastic. On the floor about an hour after San Antonio beat the Pelicans, teammates and other Spurs shared their favorite Duncan memories. If you have time, you should watch Gregg Popovich talk for nine minutes (somehow managing not to tear up!) about one of the league’s greatest players.

Here’s the rest of the highlights from a truly wonderful event.