National Basketball Association

DeMarcus Cousins did Nerlens Noel dirty: 39 points, 24 boards

Published Mar. 14, 2015 9:06 a.m. ET

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It's a good time to represent Kentucky men's basketball, and for former Wildcats to share in the historic run that John Calipari's team is making.

But forget all that. On Friday night, DeMarcus Cousins did Nerlens Noel dirty.

Cousins matched his season high of 39 points and added a career-high 24 rebounds at Philadelphia, though Noel held his own with 16 and 12, and helped the 76ers rally for a 114-107 win.

Afterward, Noel said Cousins is as challenging as any center he has faced as a rookie this year.

Both played at Kentucky: Cousins in 2009-10, Noel in 2012-13. But Noel, listed at 6-foot-11 and 220 pounds, was giving away 50 pounds.

"He's a big, big boy," Noel said. "I'll just go eat a couple Big Macs and think about that. ... It was definitely a challenge tonight, and I'll definitely learn from it."

76ers backup point guard Ish Smith, who was instrumental in the comeback, also could afford to be less than serious after the win.

"I was just playing. Sometimes I don't even know what I'm doing out there," said Smith, who finished with 10 points and nine assists in 25 minutes.

"I'm just going. ... Y'all are writing, 'What the (heck) is he doing? No wonder he's been on 25 teams.'"

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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