DeMarcus Cousins was hit with his 10th technical foul of the NBA season Saturday in the Kings' loss to the Grizzlies, but the center saved his hardest-hitting words for his own team after the game.
The Kings allowed the Grizzlies to knock down a franchise-record 17 3-pointers in a 112-98 defeat that Cousins called a step backward for the team. When asked about the Kings' poor play Saturday, Cousins responded with a longer clarification on what is wrong with his 14-19 squad.
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“At the end of the day, it comes down to you just having some type of pride, dignity in stopping your man,” Cousins told reporters. “That’s what it comes down to. Forget a scheme, forget a rotation — one-on-one, I’m going to make sure I stop my man. I’m not going to let this guy drive past me or into get in the lane and create something for somebody else.
"At the end of the day, that’s what it comes down to and until we accept that and hold ourselves accountable . . . at the end of the day, that’s what it comes down to. So until we’re ready to buckle down and do that, guys are going to continue to kill us from behind the 3-point line, guys are going to continue to get in the paint and get what they want. Teams are going to come in here and run us over."
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Cousins, who led the Kings with 26 points, eight assists, five steals and four rebounds, hopes the new year will also bring more effort from the Kings.
“Like I’ve been saying, it’s on us if we want to change this thing around,” he said. “That’s it. I’m tired of these f—ing excuses. It’s on us.”