Pelicans 8-3 in last 11 games after DeMarcus Cousins’ 37-13 game vs. former team
http://www.nba.com/pelicans/news/pe...er-demarcus-cousins-37-13-game-vs-former-team
New Orleans’ postgame locker room late Friday evening was filled with unfamiliar faces – at least to the locals – but they were very friendly ones for DeMarcus Cousins. As the three-time All-Star
prepared to discuss a 117-89 victory over Sacramento, a Kings radio broadcaster stopped by, who was followed by two trainers, an equipment manager and ex-teammate Ben McLemore, among others. Cousins exchanged hugs with each of the men, then grinned and joked as he caught up with his former Sacramento colleagues.
The 26-year-old had ample reason to smile, because he and the Pelicans had just thoroughly dominated to the tune of
a 28-point victory, with Cousins going for 37 points, 13 rebounds, four assists and two blocks over 35 minutes of work. New Orleans (33-43) kept its playoff hopes alive, winning a sixth consecutive home game, part of an 8-3 overall stretch that equals the finest for a Cousins team during his seven-year NBA career.
While many may have expected Cousins to make comments about getting “payback” or “revenge” in his first meeting with the team that traded him Feb. 20, he went the opposite direction. “There is no bad blood,” he summarized of his relationship with the Kings, while a few members of that organization stood nearby.
The media focus was primarily on what Friday’s matchup against Sacramento meant to Cousins personally, but the 26-year-old recoiled at the idea of being the center of attention.
“I didn’t want to come in and make it about me,” he said. “My biggest fear was doing that and coming out with a loss. That would’ve been terrible. I was happy we came out with the right approach, a lot of energy and set the tone early. We played the right type of basketball throughout the night. I’m more happy about that than any of the stuff you guys (media) are looking for.”
As a result, the eminently quotable Cousins – already the creator of popular Pelicans nicknames “Fire and Ice” and “Instant Grits” – didn’t provide any controversial or combative sound bites directed toward the Kings (
sample from postgame TV: “It just feels good to get a win”). Instead, he noted his friendships with developing Sacramento young players such as Willie Cauley-Stein and Skal Labissiere. He also thanked his New Orleans teammates for doing whatever they could to make sure the Pelicans picked up a victory on a memorable night.
“They were great about it,” Cousins said of the other Pelicans. “They knew how much this game meant. It’s obvious, the history between (Cousins and Sacramento). I’m glad they had my back and supported me throughout the night. The biggest thing I let them know they should be worried about is getting the win.”
With six games remaining in the regular season, New Orleans needs to keep winning in order to remain mathematically alive in the Western Conference playoff race. Any combination of three NOLA losses or victories by Portland (37-38, hosts Phoenix late Saturday) would bring an end to the Pelicans’ slim hopes of extending their recent excellent play into a postseason berth. As coaches and players have noted often recently, however, the team’s finish to 2016-17 could serve as a springboard into the offseason and beyond.
“We’re in a weird situation where we need Portland to lose and Denver (is) the same situation,” Pelicans forward Solomon Hill said of playing well but still trailing eighth place. “We’re just happy to see it paying off, and seeing what can be. We want to keep this momentum going, whether we make (the playoffs) or not.”
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