NEW YORK — Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins has been fined $25,000 for public criticism of NBA officiating, it was announced today by Stu Jackson, the NBA’s executive vice president of basketball operations.
Cousins was fined for comments made to the media after the Kings’ 93-85 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers last night at Power Balance Pavilion, a game marked by some especially physical contact between Cousins and Blake Griffin.
Cousins was especially annoyed by the fifth foul he picked up with 1:11 to play and the Kings down 84-83. According to the game story in the Sacramento Bee, Cousins swiped at the ball and missed. Griffin grabbed his eye and a foul was called.
“I guess the wind from my hand hit him in the eye,” Cousins said. “I guess he got fouled by the wind.”
The Kings play the Clippers in Los Angeles on Saturday. When told Griffin said he wasn’t worried about what happened Thursday because they would play the Kings soon, Cousins had a quick reply.
“(Griffin is) in L.A. where actors belong,” Cousins said. “He’s an actor, so of course he would say that.”
Cousins is also one technical foul away from drawing an automatic one-game suspension if he picks up another tech. In a pre-game comment made to the Bee, Cousins said: “Some of my technicals, just, I don’t even understand.”
“I see some of those technicals other players get, and I compare them to mine and they’re completely unfair.”