DeMarcus Cousins is in trouble.. again.
The Sacramento Kings announced on Saturday that DeMarcus Cousins has been suspended indefinitely for conduct detrimental to the team, as first reported by Sam Amick of USA Today.
According to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports and the Sacramento Bee, Cousins and Kings coach Keith Smart got into a verbal altercation at halftime of the Kings' loss to the Clippers on Friday night. As a result, Cousins remained in the locker room for the entire second half, per ESPN.
"We're trying to set a standard for all of our players and all our guys who are here. When guys don't fall in line to that we've got to move on," Smart said after the game.
This is the third suspension for Cousins this season. In November, the NBA docked him two games for getting into a heated confrontation with San Antonio Spurs broadcaster Sean Elliott.
More recently, Dallas' O.J. Mayo accused Cousins of punching him in the groin and called him out after his team's 119-96 win over Sacramento. Cousins was suspended for one game.
"He's a talented player, has a chance to be an All-Star. But you do stuff like that, it takes you down a class. That guy has some mental issues, man," Mayo said, per ESPN Dallas. "He's a talented player. He has an opportunity to be the face of that organization, but I don't think he wants it."More from the Associated Press:
DeMarcus Cousins has been suspended indefinitely by the Sacramento Kings for "unprofessional behavior and conduct detrimental to the team."
Kings president of basketball operations Geoff Petrie announced the move Saturday.
Cousins and Kings coach Keith Smart exchanged words in the locker room during halftime of Sacramento's 97-85 loss at the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night. Smart benched Cousins for the entire second half and ordered him to remain in the locker room.
Cousins also was suspended one game without pay by the NBA this month for striking Dallas' O.J. Mayo in the groin. Following a loss at San Antonio on Nov. 9, the league suspended Cousins two games without pay for confronting Spurs announcer Sean Elliott in a "hostile manner."