It’s a plain and simple concept. There is absolutely no one in the NBA that can guard DeMarcus Cousins. In tonight’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers, Cousins scored 40 points on 13-of-24 shooting, while grabbing 12 rebounds and dropping eight assists. That is why he is the Reno Dodge Performer of the night!
Sacramento led for the majority of the game and ended up escaping with a victory over the Lakers 97-96, extending the win streak to four games.
Luke Walton had zero chance in finding a soul on his roster to take on the tough task of guarding Cousins. It was as if Cousins was the older brother on the playground and the Lakers would have to jump on his back to stop him from scoring.
Whether it was Tarik Black, Larry Nance Jr., Timofey Mozgov or Ivica Zubac, there was not a single player with the defensive capability to match up with Cousins.
The Lakers used a different approach in guarding Cousins tonight, which consisted of less double teams and more one-on-one coverage. Every time single coverage was spotted, Cousins would either be good for a blow by basket or the defender would have no choice but to foul.
Cousins was asked tonight about what goes through his head when he’s not being double teamed.
“Feed me (smiling as he’s saying), FEED ME,” said Cousins.
Just shy of a triple-double, Cousins was doing it all on the floor. Cousins was sharing the love this Valentine’s Day with eight assists, accounting for over 60 of the Kings’ points for the night.
Cousins set the tone early scoring 12 points in the first quarter but was limited to only 13 points at the half. The Kings went into halftime with a two-point lead.
The Kings got out to an 11-point lead in the third and began to ease off the gas pedal slowly into the fourth. Cousins went to the bench early in the fourth quarter and the Lakers took advantage of the opportunity by going on a 13-0 run.
Coach Dave Joerger immediately called a timeout once the Lakers were in striking distance and inserted Cousins back into the lineup. As soon as Cousins was on the floor the Kings went on a 5-0 run, which would prove to be the difference in sealing the victory at Staples Center.
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