Cousins OUT for the Kings

KINGS AT LAKERS, 9:30 P.M. ET

TV: League Pass

• The Kings will be without leading scorer and rebounder DeMarcus Cousins when they play the Lakers tonight at Staples Center. Cousins, who’s averaging 17.3 points and 9.8 rebounds through the first six games, was suspended for two games beginning tonight for a confrontation with Spurs announcer Sean Elliot following a 97-86 loss Friday night in Sacramento. Cousins scored 14 points in the loss and was limited to 23 minutes because of early foul trouble. Cousins, a third-year center out of Kentucky, will also miss Tuesday’s game against visiting Portland. The Kings are also without rookie forward Thomas Robinson, who is serving the second game of a two-game suspension for elbowing Jonas Jerebko of Detroit on Wednesday. Robinson is averaging 4.4 points and 3.6 rebounds through the first five games.

• The absence of Cousins and Robinson will likely be felt most on the boards. The Lakers enter the game as the third-ranked team in the NBA in offensive rebounds at 14 a game. The Kings enter the game last in the league in rebounding, giving up an average of 47.5 a game. The Lakers allow the fewest rebounds in the league at 37.33 a game.

• The Lakers will still have interim coach Bernie Bickerstaff calling the shots against Sacramento. He took over after Mike Brown was fired on Friday, 83 games into his tenure with the Lakers. Much speculation has been made that former Lakers coach Phil Jackson will return for his third stint with the team, and one local publication has reported that Jackson will announce his decision Monday. According to the report, Jackson has asked for travel restrictions, a salary in line with what he previously earned with the Lakers and significantly more say over basketball decisions.