National Basketball Association

DeMarcus Cousins gave the same answer five times when asked about the Kings

Published Mar. 30, 2017 5:09 p.m. ET

Andrew Lynch

DeMarcus Cousins and the New Orleans Pelicans are set to take on Boogie's former team, the Sacramento Kings, on Friday night.

That naturally meant Cousins was asked all about the Kings at Thursday's practice. Rather than let the queries get the best of him, though, Cousins broke into a bit of a comedy routine by giving the same answer over ... and over ... and over.

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COUSINS: "What am I expecting for tomorrow? I'm expecting for the New Orleans Pelicans to come out and play a hard, tough game, play the right way, and get a win."

REPORTER: "Is it fair to say you're excited for tomorrow's game?"

COUSINS: "About what? ... Who do we play tomorrow?"

REPORTER: "I believe it's the Sacramento Kings."

COUSINS: "Damn, for real? Just go in, play hard, try to get a win."

This continued for nearly 90 seconds, as Cousins joked with reporters. By the time he gave the same answer for the third and fourth time, everyone was laughing:

REPORTER: "Does it mean anything to see those guys?"

COUSINS: "Just another chance to come out, play hard and get a win."

REPORTER: "Do you think it's better to kind of get it out of the way, not have to go to Sacramento initially?"

COUSINS: "No, it's just a chance for us to come out, play hard, get a win."

REPORTER: "Are you hyped?"

COUSINS: "I'm definitely hyped, because it's another chance for us to come out, play hard and get a win."

COUSINS: "I enjoyed my time there. I developed a lot of relationships. It'll be good to see the guys again. I haven't seen them since, you know, before the [All-Star] break, so it'll be a good chance to see those guys and laugh a little bit.

"Seriously, like, it's another chance to just come out and get better."

Improvement is the name of the game for the Pelicans, who are all but eliminated from playoff contention in the Western Conference. They're 9-9 overall since trading for Cousins, with four of those five wins coming with Cousins out of the lineup.

New Orleans has struggled to figure out how to make the most of both Cousins and Anthony Davis when they share the court, rather than having the two talented big men take turns as the offensive focal point. When one or the other sits, the Pelicans have been one of the best teams in the NBA since the All-Star break.

Yet over the past two weeks, coach Alvin Gentry has started to maximize his roster's potential. The Pelicans are 7-3 in their past 10 games, with tough tests against the Denver Nuggets, Golden State Warriors and Portland Trail Blazers on the schedule to close out the season. If New Orleans is finding its groove, we'll know soon.