Despite fouling out, Cousins impresses in debut as Warriors beat Clippers

LOS ANGELES — The Warriors' bench erupted into applause with 8:51 left in their 112-94 win over the Clippers at Staples Center on Friday night. As DeMarcus Cousins, grinning, joined them on the sideline, Golden State reserves stood to high-five him and pat him on the back. Never mind that Cousins had needed only 15 minutes to foul out. In his first game back from a torn left Achilles tendon that had sidelined him almost a year, Cousins showed flashes of his dominance, amplifying those bemoaning an end to competitive balance in the NBA. Though Cousins didn't exactly resemble the transcendent talent many have dubbed the most skilled big man in the world, he got more comfortable as the night progressed.