AP Photo/David Zalubowski
DeMarcus Cousins’ first playoff game with the Denver Nuggets ended sooner than expected.
The four-time All-Star was ejected from Saturday’s Game 1 against the Golden State Warriors after receiving double-technical fouls from referee Scott Foster in the fourth quarter.
It’s unclear what led to Cousins receiving the first technical foul, but the second one appeared to be based on his comments as he was walking away from Foster.
John Dickinson @JDJohnDickinson
As he was walking away, the big screen caught it…
“Man f–k you!” that did it https://t.co/6aQTOFP3mV
Cousins played 10 minutes off the bench prior to his ejection. He scored seven points, grabbed two rebounds and dished out two assists.
Things were not going well for the Nuggets prior to Cousins being tossed. They were trailing 92-76 when he was sent to the locker room.
Cousins originally signed with the Nuggets on a 10-day contract on Jan. 21. He spent the first two months of the season with the Milwaukee Bucks before being waived on Jan. 6.
Denver gave Cousins two more 10-day contracts before signing him for the remainder of the season on Feb. 25. The 31-year-old averaged 8.9 points, 5.5 rebounds and made 45.6 percent of his field-goal attempts.
Losing Cousins put even more pressure on Nikola Jokic. The MVP candidate was already going to shoulder a heavy burden in this series to give the Nuggets a chance against a Warriors team with Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green back.
Denver’s roster has been decimated by injuries. Jamal Murray hasn’t played all season as he continues to recover from a torn ACL. Michael Porter Jr. only played nine games before a back injury ended his season.
Jokic is the driving force behind everything the Nuggets want to do. Cousins is a capable scoring center who can get hot at a given moment to spark the offense.
Cousins and the Nuggets will have to regroup before Game 2 against the Warriors on Monday at 10 p.m. ET.
