DeMarcus Cousins Records NBA's 1st 30-15-9 Game Since 2011
Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins recorded 32 points, 16 rebounds and nine assists in Tuesday's 108-104 overtime loss to the Dallas Mavericks, making him the first player since Blake Griffin on March 23, 2011 to reach 30 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists in the same game, per ESPN Stats & Info.
However, it wasn't all good for Cousins, as he fouled out on a questionable call in the final 30 seconds of regulation, and then had to watch his team lose in overtime from the bench.
Per basketball-reference.com's play index, Cousins also matched a career-high mark with nine turnovers, which brought his season-long average to 4.1 per game, tied with Houston Rockets guard James Harden for second worst in the NBA, behind only Philadelphia 76ers guard Michael Carter-Williams (4.4).
The 24-year-old center did add two steals and a block to round out one of the NBA's busiest stat lines this season.
Since the beginning of the 1985-86 campaign, there have been just 32 instances of a player recording 30 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists in the same game, with seven of those accounted for by Charles Barkley, and another three from Larry Bird, per b-r.com's play index.
No other player has accomplished the feat more than twice, and Cousins and Griffin are the only players to foul out in such a performance.
Averaging 26.2 points, 14.4 boards, 5.2 assists, 2.4 steals, 2.4 blocks and 5.8 turnovers over his last five games, Cousins will draw a fascinating matchup with Miami Heat center Hassan Whiteside on Friday night in Sacramento.
A former second-round pick of the Kings, the 25-year-old Whiteside has seemingly come out of nowhere to average 13.8 points, 10.2 rebounds and 3.5 blocks over just 24.2 minutes in six January games.
