The Sacramento Kings reinstated center DeMarcus Cousins on Monday after he served a one-game suspension.
Cousins was suspended by the team for Sunday's game against the Portland Trail Blazers, but was reinstated Monday and practiced with the Kings. His suspension was a result of a verbal altercation between Cousins and Kings head coach Keith Smart during halftime of Sacramento's game against the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday. Cousins, who said he was in the wrong following the game and apologized for the incident, was benched for the second half against Los Angeles before being suspended indefinitely.
The incident brought Cousins' future with Sacramento into question, but the two sides have apparently smoothed things out enough for Cousins to return. Sacramento knocked off the Blazers without Cousins on Sunday, but his return should still be a big boost for the 9-18 Kings. Cousins is averaging a team-high 16.6 points per game while also leading the Kings in rebounding at 9.5 rebounds per game.