Bulls' Joakim Noah has trouble keeping his cool vs. Kings

Chicago Bulls forward Joakim Noah had another fine night defensively against the Sacramento Kings on Thursday, but his play at the offensive end left a lot to be desired. 

Late in the third quarter, Noah's frustrations reached a boiling point when Kings center DeMarcus Cousins flopped to draw what Noah described after the game as a "ticky-tack foul."

In his last trip to Sacramento, Noah was ejected from the game, cursed at all three referees and was later fined $15,000 for verbal abuse of the officials.

On Thursday night, he was able to avoid an ejection, but certainly lost his cool once again.

"Yeah, s---- two years in a row (being ejected) wouldn't have been good," Noah said, according to ESPN. "Just disappointing that we lost and - I got to keep my cool." 

Noah explained how he tries to keep his emotions in check.

"Just breathe," he said. "You have to breathe and think about the big picture. It's a lot harder said than done. Just breathe. Have positive thoughts."

Noah also had some praise for a Kings team that claimed a 103-88 victory on Thursday night.

"They're a good team," Noah said. "They're a very good team. They play hard at home. I think that they're starting to build something over here. Defensively they're better. DeMarcus is a lot better. He's playing more efficiently. … Sometimes he gets frustrated and that works in our favor. But I feel like this year he's the one getting guys frustrated, and it's worked for them so we'll see them again. 

"We'll see them again at home and we'll be ready for that one, but you can tell there's been a lot of growing on his side as a player."