The Los Angeles Lakers replaced DeMarcus Cousins with Markieff Morris in February. On Sunday, in Cousins’ first game against his former team, he and Morris entered a difficult exchange.
None of the players finished the game.
Morris and Cousins were called up for two technical errors, with 2:15 left in the first quarter of the Houston Rockets game against LA as they entered a pushing game after Morris’ flagrant foul 1 on Jae’Sean Tate, who sent the Rockets attack to the ground.
Morris was expelled for the crime after retaliating against checking Cousins’ body, which caused him to fall to the floor, charging Cousins to push him while helping Tate to his feet.
Not long after, Cousins was sent off early in the second quarter, when he was called up for a flagrant foul 2 for hitting LeBron James in the head. The shot seemed to be accidental as Cousins tried to strip James of the ball as the Lakers star headed for the basket. However, the arbitrators ruled that the liquidation and prosecution of Cousins deserves a flagrant appeal 2 and an automatic expulsion. Cousins has been sent off twice in the last four Rockets games. He was called up for two technical errors within two minutes and 53 seconds to be sent off in Monday’s loss to the Dallas Mavericks.
The Lakers signed Cousins in the summer of 2019 to try to recreate the success on the front field that he had on the team with Anthony Davis at the New Orleans Pelicans, however, the former All-Star center never played a game for LA after breaking his ACL in his left knee during a pick-up game.
The cousins gave up in February to open a roster to sign Morris, who reached a deal with the Detroit Pistons and was on the market.
Morris played a pivotal role during the Lakers Championship, ironically playing his most effective ball in the second round against Houston, when he scored 16 points in Game 2 to score 1-1 and 16 points again in Game 5. to close the Rockets.
Even though Cousins was not on the Lakers playoff list, his name was still inscribed in every ring of the Lakers championship. The Lakers plan to present Cousins with a championship ring when they host the Rockets at the Staples Center later this season, league sources told ESPN.
ESPN’s Tim MacMahon contributed to this report.