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NBA suspends Sacramento’s DeMarcus Cousins for game against Lakers

Lakers center Robert Sacre blocks a shot by Kings center DeMarcus Cousins in December.
(Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press)
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The NBA has suspended center DeMarcus Cousins for the Sacramento Kings’ Friday night visit to the Lakers at Staples Center.

Cousins received the one-game suspension for punching Houston’s Patrick Beverley in a 129-103 loss on Tuesday to the Houston Rockets. Video of the play can be seen on NBA.com

He was also fined $20,000 for verbally abusing an official and failing to leave the court in a timely manner following an ejection.

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At 20-37, the Kings are slightly behind the Lakers (19-39) when considering the NBA draft lottery to be held May 20.

Neither the Lakers nor the Kings are playoff bound. The lower a team finishes in the standings, the greater chance they have at a top-three pick in the June 26 draft.

The Lakers should have the advantage over the Kings with Cousins out, which in turn works to Sacramento’s advantage when considering lottery position.

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Currently the Lakers have lost three straight and have six wins in the 26 games played since the start of 2014.

Cousins has averaged 22.3 points and 11.5 rebounds a game this season for the Kings.

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eric.pincus@gmail.com

Twitter: @EricPincus

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