DeMarcus Cousins rips Kings' effort after blowout loss to Mavericks
Sacramento Kings All-Star center DeMarcus Cousins questioned his team's effort after a blowout loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday, saying his teammates needs to “man up” and have “self-respect.”
The Kings shot 36 percent against Dallas, missed 18 of their 21 three-point attempts and turned the ball over 17 times in the 101-78 loss.
Sacramento has lost 10 of its last 11 games and six straight at home. The Kings were 11-13 when they fired head coach Mike Malone on Dec. 15. They have won only six times in 24 games under interim coach Tyrone Corbin.
“It’s about having self-respect, it’s about having pride. And taking your job seriously,” Cousins said. “Coming in every night ready to play, regardless of the circumstances.”
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Dallas has beaten Sacramento six straight times. Cousins, who had 23 points and 11 rebounds against the Mavericks, says all he is looking for from his teammates is a desire to compete. “Just man-up and play. Just play hard,” Cousins said. “If we play hard and get our brains beat in, I’m fine with that. But just to come out and lay down like we did tonight, it’s unacceptable.”
Cousins was selected to his first All-Star Game last week and is averaging 23.7 points, 12.5 rebounds and 3.2 assists this season.
The Kings are 17-31 and the No. 12 seed in the Western Conference. They are 9.5 games behind the No. 8 seed Phoenix Suns for the final playoff spot.
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