We all know that.

Last night, he was called out for crossing the line during the Sacramento Kings loss to the Denver Nuggets.

The Nuggets ran all over the Kings, (or is it the Sonics?) en route to victory. One of the key players for the Nuggets all season has been small forward Danilo Gallinari. At one point during the contest, Gallo and Cousins got into it on the floor and had to be separated. The Denver Post’s Mark Billingsley described what happened during the third quarter:

“Cousins pushed Gallinari to the ground on one possession, and Gallinari got up to complain to the referees and then took his case directly to Cousins. They had to be separated by teammates and refs, but neither received a technical foul.”

Gallo told Billingsley what Cousins said after the game that made him so upset.

“When you talk trash its fine as long as you don’t disrespect and that’s what I approached him. I never approach nobody who trash talks to me. I like that and loved it. But it has to be in the respect area and you go out of the respect area that doesn’t work with me.”

“(Cousins) said a lot of bad stuff. Being from Italy, he said some stuff I don’t even understand. I’m a lover not a fighter.”

So what did Cousins say?

What exactly is the line that players can’t cross?

Jan 26, 2013; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Nuggets point guard Ty Lawson (3) controls the ball in the second quarter against the Sacramento Kings at the Pepsi Center. The Nuggets won 121-93. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

After being named  the Western Conference Player of the Week, Ty Lawson scored 18 points and added 8 assists in a 104-88 victory against the Atlanta Hawks. The Nuggets have beaten the Kings both times the two teams have met this season by a combined 53 points this season. Lawson is averaging 18.5 points and 6.5 assists against Sacramento this season. The last time the Nuggets traveled to play the Kings, Javale McGee scored 19 points in just 17 minutes. The starters played an average of 25.4 minutes in that game, where the Nuggets won 122-97. Every player for the Nuggets saw playing time.

The last time out, Lawson and Andre Iguodala both scored over 20 points en route to a 121-93 victory in Denver. All of the Nuggets players saw minutes in that game, too.

The Kings are being led by Demarcus Cousins. Cousins has 17.2 points, 9.9 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per game this season. Isaiah Thomas led all scorers with 20 points in the first meeting in Sacramento. Last time out, the Nuggets were able to keep Cousins in check, only allowing him to score 3 points and pull down 2 rebounds in 22 minutes of work.

The Nuggets will be looking to play their run and gun game as usual and pound the ball inside the paint. For the past two games, Denver’s leading scorer has been off the bench. With Lawson and the bench playing solid, the Nuggets are hoping to win their 3rd straight road game.

Tip-off is set for 8:00 pm MT (7:00 pm PT) from the Sleep Train Arena in Sacramento.