"If Kings center DeMarcus Cousins' issue is actually the absence of a poker face, leading him to show every emotion as it comes to him, his mistake was not learning from Samuel Dalembert when he had the chance.

The Rockets' veteran center has been known to dramatically show his feelings openly, too, but when asked about playing his former team, he insisted it was just another game.

It wasn't. Dalembert dominated Cousins from the outset, to the point that the Kings prodigy was benched for the entire fourth quarter while the center he supplanted had his best game with the Rockets, taking them to a 103-89 win Friday at Toyota Center.

"I've been teasing him the past couple days, texting him that they were going at his head," Rockets guard Kevin Martin said. "He said, 'Bring them on.' He didn't know I was joking. He was fired up. You could tell."

From the outset, he was entirely serious.

Dalembert had 21 points, 16 rebounds and four blocked shots, all his season highs. He had been controlling the paint effectively in recent games, leading to the Rockets' improved defense. But his impact was greater on Friday, and not just because his shots went in."