SAN FRANCISCO — Karl-Anthony Towns didn’t want to speak about Draymond Green after the Knicks’ loss to the Golden State Warriors late Thursday night. But Green was effusive in his praise of the Knicks’ All-Star center, a player he’s gone to war with over the years during their time as rivals in the Western Conference while Towns was with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Towns dominated on the glass with 20 rebounds, including eight on the offensive glass, but scored just 17 points on 6-of-14 shooting in a game Jalen Brunson sat with a right ankle sprain. Green defended Towns on many of those possessions, and the two were seen jawing with one another after the Warriors handed the Knicks their seventh loss in their past nine games at the Chase Center on Thursday.
Towns was visibly frustrated following the exchange.
“I don’t want to give my secrets away, but I do like the [Towns] matchup,” he said after the game. “But I like playing against all the perennial All-Stars and stars in the league. I enjoy those matchups. Those are the matchups that really get me going.”
Officials assessed Green a flagrant foul penalty one for using his arms while on the ground to trip Towns on a drive to the rim in the opening minute of the fourth quarter. Green also mocked Towns multiple times in Thursday’s loss, including a repeated ode to Russell Westbrook’s signature rocking the baby to sleep celebration following successful possessions against the Knicks’ star center.
“It’s an honor to play against a talent like Karl Towns. Make no mistake about it, Karl Towns is one of the better big men in this league. I cherish that opportunity,” Green said in the Warriors’ locker room following their win. “So I know I get out there and I talk my junk and I stir the pot a little bit for sure. But the respect that I have for talents like that, for guys who’s done it, what, 10, 11 years at a very high level. I have so much respect for guys that are able to keep that level of play.”
Green said he has to fire himself up to defend a perennial All-Star known to be one of the better scoring big men of this generation. In a down season, Towns is averaging 21 points and 11.2 rebounds per game, though his efficiency has dropped roughly six percentage points from the field (46.8%) and seven percentage points from three-point range (35.3%) in his first year under new head coach Mike Brown.
“I know going into that matchup [against Towns] that I have to be like that. Or he’s going to drag me. And so for guys that bring the best out of me I’m always grateful for the opportunity,” said Green. “I talk my junk, and we’ll play them in March at The Garden, and I’ll talk, and I’ll approach the game the same way.
“But make no mistake about it: I got so much respect for Karl Towns and what he’s done as a basketball player, what he brings to this league on a nightly basis. But when you step in between those lines there’s no time for that. It’s time to compete. It’s time for me to try to get the better of you because you’re going to try to get the better of me. And that is one guy in the league that brings out the best in me, and I’m always grateful for the opportunity.”
The two have history, most notably Green’s Halloween 2024 podcast appearance where he insinuated Towns intentionally sat a game against the Warriors to avoid playing against his former teammate Jimmy Butler, who had recently been traded from the Miami Heat to Golden State. Towns was actually at a funeral supporting a family friend who had passed away.
Brown said he didn’t think Green’s intensity in the matchup against Towns turned the game into the Warriors’ favor. Towns is averaging 22 points and 11 rebounds against Green over the 21 games they’ve played over the course of their careers.
“Nah. Draymond, that’s how he plays. Draymond’s always gonna be intense,” he said. “Draymond, his intensity is what it is. That’s who he is. That’s how he plays. I didn’t think it impacted us.”
