When New Orleans center DeMarcus Cousins and Golden State forward Kevin Durant got into it on the court during the Warriors’ 125-115 victory over the Pelicans on Monday, they were both ejected, and that was that. Well, for Durant anyway. Durant expressed regret afterward, saying “I’m not going to fight nobody.”
Cousins took a slightly different approach, reports Scott Cacciola of the New York Times:
Cousins was storming down the hallway in search of Durant, who was making his way off the court after his ejection and toward the locker room. Security officers, aware that trouble was brewing, quickly diverted Durant to a small corridor as several others slowed Cousins’s progress.
“Shut the door! Shut the door!” the officers shouted at one another up and down the hallway.
Luckily, Warriors Director of Team Operations Eric Housen was there to get in the way of the 6-foot-11, 270-pound behemoth. Cousins in a rage is an intimidating figure, but Housen told Cacciola “I figure if they see little old me out there, maybe they won’t do something.” At 5-foot-10, Housen probably does seem rather small to Cousins.
Here’s video of the on-court altercation:
Kevin Durant and DeMarcus Cousins get ejected after getting into it pic.twitter.com/8k9aOFcHwg
— Def Pen Hoops (@DefPenHoops) December 5, 2017
The news that Cousins came after Durant isn’t exactly breaking; it was reported that very evening:
After Kevin Durant and Demarcus Cousins' ejections – there was some sort of almost-altercation in the back. Cousins came around when KD was exiting. Security has to close doors to separate the two #GoldenState #NewOrleans #Warriors #Pelicans
— Morgan Beard (@morganbeard) December 5, 2017
The details added by Cacciola, however, are new and interesting.
