DeMarcus Cousins and Keith Smart engaged in a verbal altercation after halftime of the Sacramento Kings' 97-85 loss to the Clippers on Friday.

Cousins remained in the locker room and didn't play for the remainder of the game.

"It was conduct detrimental to the team and we left it at that," Smart said without elaborating.

"What happens in the locker room stays in the locker room, but I was wrong," Cousins said. "But what happens in the locker room stays in the locker room."

Cousins has had a tumultuous start to his third NBA season.

"I messed up," he said. "I'm apologizing to all my teammates for it, for responding the way I did, and we'll move on from it. … I grow from all of my mistakes."