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DeMarcus Cousins blasts referees after bizarre sequence in which he was ejected for spitting his mouthguard, then let back into the game
With 35 seconds left in the fourth quarter, game tied at 119, Cousins scored on a layup underneath the basket and got fouled, for his 54th point of the game.
demarcus cousins
As he celebrated while walking to the free throw line, he taunted the Blazers bench, spitting out his mouthguard in the process and walking away.
The Blazers bench immediately pointed out Cousins' act, and the referees gave him a technical foul, his second of the night, and ejected him. Cousins was incredulous, sprinting off the court in disbelief.
However, the officials then huddled and changed the call, rescinding the technical. That meant Cousins had to run back out and shoot his free throw.
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Cousins made the free throw for his 55th point of the game, and the Kings later sealed the win.
In a postgame interview on the court immediately after the final buzzer, Cousins blasted the officials.
"It's ridiculous. It's obvious what's being done out here. It's a nightly basis. I hope the world can see now what's really going on out here, because it's getting ridiculous. It's really ridiculous. ... This is ridiculous, man. Ridiculous!"
Cousins was then asked about his dominant performance, and seemingly took a shot at Blazers forward Meyers Leonard (who many people thought Cousins was trash-talking, prior to spitting out his mouthguard). "He thinks he's a stopper," Cousins said. "It's not happening. I brought him back to reality."
After the game, Blazers coach Terry Stotts said that right after the ejection, the referees asked him if Cousins threw his mouthguard at the Blazers bench. Stotts said Cousins didn't, and the referees rescinded the technical. "
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