It’s DeMarcus Cousins’ world, we’re just living in it.
For the second straight game, the Kings All-Star center ran roughshod over the Denver Nuggets. Be it in Sacramento or at the Pepsi Center at over 5,000 feet of elevation, it doesn’t matter. Cousins started the domination early and carried it into the final play as the Kings picked up their third straight victory by the final of 114-110.
"I'm just playing my game," Cousins told reporters following the game. "That's the best way to put it."
Playing his game means that he posterizes his opponents. It means that he drops in 3-pointers, takes them off the dribble and powers through them in the post.
“He made some threes early in the third quarter, he can play at the elbow, he’s actually a damn good passer, he’s a great rebounder,” Karl said. “There’s not much on the basketball court he doesn’t do well.”
Cousins finished the night with 39 points, nine rebounds, two blocks and a steal. That’s after putting 37 points and 20 rebounds on this same team on Friday night.
“Out of everyone we played this year he is the one that I can say we can’t do anything to stop him,” Nuggets rookie Emmanuel Mudiay said. “We just have to play with a team effort, he is an All-Star.”
It’s not just the Nuggets that Cousins is plowing through. The 25-year-old center is fourth in the league in scoring behind Stephen Curry, James Harden and Kevin Durant. He’s averaging 27.3 points per night, which is staggering when you look at what other bigs are doing this season.
“He’s not a difficult cover for them, he’s a difficult cover for most teams in the league,” Karl added. “I think Cuz has done a great job of figuring out how to move himself around on the court instead of being in just one place.”
Cousins continues to hear the murmurs from the peanut gallery, but he quiets them at every turn. Has he given up on his coach? No. Is he out of shape? Open your eyes.
The two-time All-Star is averaging 29 points and over 11 rebounds in seven games in the month of February. And that’s after he posted 31.5 points and 12.9 rebounds per game in January.
“He has the talent to do that every night,” Quincy Acy said. “He is a special talent and is the best big in the league and it’s not close. He is really figuring it out and he is only 25 years old. He still has a long way to go but he is open to learning. I love playing with him and he is a great teammate with a lot of passion for the game.”
After destroying the Nuggets frontline for most of the night, it was his defense down the stretch that made the difference. Cousins picked veteran point guard D.J. Augustin clean with the game tied at 107-107 and just 50.9 seconds remaining.
Augustin fouled him as he broke away from the pack. Cousins stepped to the line and dropped in a pair of freebies to give his team a 109-107 lead.
After Darren Collison pushed the Kings lead back to two at 112-110, Darrell Arthur attacked Sacramento’s interior looking for the equalizer. Cousins once again stepped in, this time catching all ball with his huge mits as Arthur went for the lay-in.
The official scorer gave him a block, but it could very well have been another steal. Either way, it was a game winning defensive play from a star player.
“The biggest thing was trying to get a stop down the stretch,” Cousins said. “The game came down to a game of stops and I think we did that as a team.”
Cousins didn’t do it alone. Rudy Gay added 16 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, four steals and three blocks. Omri Casspi bounced back to drop in 14 points and nine rebounds after missing last game. Willie Cauley-Stein added 10 points and a pair of blocks and Rajon Rondo posted another 12 assist night.
It was a gritty victory on the road over a young and talented Nuggets team. But they have to do it all over again Wednesday night in Sacramento when a stellar opponent drops by Sleep Train Arena.
With the win, Cousins has the Kings just 3.5 games behind the Utah Jazz for the eighth spot in the Western Conference playoff race. But their schedule takes a turn over the next eight games when they play the Spurs twice, the Clippers, the Thunder, Grizzlies, the Mavs, the Pelicans and the Cavs. Including the Spurs twice, the group has a combined record of 295-152 (.660 win percentage).
Cousins will have to be every bit as good as he has been over the last month and a half and perhaps better and he is going to need a whole lot of help from his teammates if the Kings have any shot at playing in the NBA’s second season.
