The Sacramento Kings have lost three straight, and Demarcus Cousins seems to know why.
Speaking after the Kings lost a close game to the Oklahoma City Thunder 98-95 Sunday night, Cousins was highly critical of his recent play as the Kings went 0-3 during their latest road trip. Cousins is shooting a miserable 13-of-53 from the field during that stretch, averaging just 14 points.
“I've been playing like s---, man,” Cousins said. “That is our problem. It is me. I've been playing like absolute s---.”
Cousins had been making his way back from a back injury that kept him out of three games last week, but he refused to blame his poor play on his back.
“I don't want to make any excuses,” Cousins said. “I've been playing like s---. No other excuse.”
Cousins, who was named to the Western Conference All-Star team for the first time last season, has already missed eight games this season due to various ailments. The Kings are 1-7 without him in the lineup, having lost five of their past six games to tumble to 7-15.
Cousins is averaging a career-high 25.2 points per game this season, but is shooting a career-low 41 percent from the field, and his rebound, assist and steal numbers are down, per ESPN.
“I've never been in a stretch like this,” Cousins said. “I have to stay positive, stay together and get in the gym. I know it's a mental thing right now. It's hard getting the rhythm when you're not seeing the ball go through the basket.”
Coach George Karl gave credit to opposing teams for making Cousins’ life tough on the court.
“When you’re the first priority of a scouting report, it’s sometimes tough to be great,” Karl said, via the Sacramento Bee.