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DeMarcus Cousins picks up 18th technical, faces one-game suspension

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OKLAHOMA CITY -- DeMarcus Cousins and Steven Adams were assessed double technical fouls after getting tied up underneath the basket 32 seconds into the New Orleans Pelicans' 118-110 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday night.

The technical foul is Cousins' 18th of the season, and it's the fastest he has gotten one in an NBA game. If it's not rescinded, the Pelicans forward will be suspended for one game.

"I don't feel I did anything wrong to receive it," Cousins said. "Hopefully the league handles it the right way, and hopefully I get the benefit of the doubt. So we'll see."

NBA players are assessed a fine and suspended for one game after receiving 16 technical fouls in one season. They face the same penalty for every other technical foul thereafter.

Cousins' 18 technicals lead the NBA this season.

Cousins also picked up two personal fouls in the first 95 seconds. He was limited to 21 minutes of action due to foul trouble.

The Pelicans are 23-37 overall and 3.5 games behind the Denver Nuggets for the eighth playoff seed in the Western Conference. The Pelicans next play the Detroit Pistons at home on Wednesday.

"We'll just have to see what happens," Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry said.