DeMarcus Cousins and Markieff Morris both ejected in Rockets-Lakers game

DeMarcus Cousins and Markieff Morris both ejected in Rockets-Lakers game

Houston Rockets' DeMarcus Cousins, Los Angeles Lakers' Markieff Morris both ejected

DeMarcus Cousins of the Houston Rockets and Markieff Morris of the Los Angeles Lakers were both ejected during last night’s game.

Per ESPN, Morris and Cousins were called for double technical fouls with 2:15 remaining in the first quarter of the Houston Rockets’ 120-102 loss to L.A. for getting into a shoving match after Morris’ flagrant foul 1 on Jae’Sean Tate, which sent the Rockets’ forward sprawling to the ground.

Morris was ejected for the infraction after he retaliated against Cousins’ body check that made him fall to the floor by charging at Cousins to push him while he was helping Tate up.

Not long after that, Cousins also was ejected early in the second quarter when he was called for a flagrant foul 2 for hitting LeBron James in the head. The shot appeared to be incidental, as Cousins was attempting to strip James of the ball as the Lakers’ star drove to the basket. However, the referees ruled that Cousins’ wind-up and follow-through merited a flagrant 2 call and automatic ejection. Cousins has been ejected twice over the Rockets’ last four games. He was called for two technical fouls in a span of two minutes, 53 seconds to get ejected in Monday’s loss to the Dallas Mavericks.

“I thought [Cousins] was sticking up for his teammate on the first part, the first technical, and I’ll support him 100% when he’s sticking up for his teammate,” Rockets coach Stephen Silas said. “He was sticking up for Jae’Sean. He wasn’t going to allow anything to happen to his rookie, and I think that’s admirable.

“The [flagrant 2], when he hit LeBron in the face or whatever, that’s a judgment call. Or I don’t even know if it’s a judgment call; it comes from the replay booth. You’re just going to have to live with it. But him sticking up for his teammate shows a lot of who DeMarcus Cousins is.”

Post your comment