SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Luke Walton will back his players every time, and when no whistle came as DeMarcus Cousins took down Julius Randle early in the game the new Lakers coach got crazy mad.
As in having to be held back as he made his way to midcourt before a pair of technical fouls in succession led to an ejection — two of seven total Ts in a testy game.
Cousins had 31 points, 16 rebounds, five assists and three blocks, and the Sacramento Kings used a big third quarter to send slumping Los Angeles to a seventh straight defeat with a 116-92 win Monday night.
"I just felt like I needed to stand up for my guys," said Walton, a former Arizona Wildcats standout in his first year as Lakers coach. "I felt like what happened on the floor wasn't right and my only concern is our guys and the locker room and our team. If I feel like something's not right I'm going to stand up for my guys."
Walton was ejected at the 4:14 mark of the first quarter, and he had to be held back by his players. Randle sure appreciated it.
"Ahh, I love my coach, man," Randle said. "That's my guy. He backs me up with everything. He has all of our backs 100 percent."
Watch Walton's ejection by clicking on the video link. (Warning to lip-readers: Walton uncorks a few choice words.)
