Karl-Anthony Towns Caught in Heated Exchange With Draymond Green

The New York Knicks' West Coast road trip ended with plenty of tension. Leaked audio from their January 15 loss to the Warriors revealed Karl-Anthony Towns firing back at Draymond Green after an ugly fourth-quarter incident.

A video posted by Playoff Sports on social media caught the full exchange. Green grabbed Towns' ankle while on the floor as the Knicks' big man drove to the basket, drawing a flagrant 1 foul with under four minutes left. That's when Towns let him have it.

Caught on camera, Towns appeared to have some choice words for Green.

“I don’t know who you acting tough with. Not scared of you Draymond, I’m big dog. Better chill the f**k out with all that. Calm down man. The f**k?”

— Karl-Anthony Towns to Draymond Green 😳pic.twitter.com/LrJuDUNrdE
— Playoff Sports (@PlayoffSports_) January 16, 2026

The Warriors pulled away for a 126-113 win, but the beef between these two became the real story. Green celebrated loudly after Towns missed one of the free throws from the flagrant, pushing the confrontation further. The Knicks were already short-handed without Jalen Brunson, who sat out with an ankle injury from the night before against Sacramento.

Towns struggled again in another tough performance during his recent cold stretch, failing to provide the offensive punch New York desperately needed. The loss wrapped up a 1-3 West Coast road trip that showed some real issues for the Knicks.

When asked about the Green drama postgame, Towns kept it short. Stefan Bondy of the New York Post reported that Towns brushed off the situation with a simple response. "Ain't no relevance in my life. I'm good," Towns said.

Karl-Anthony Towns didn't want to talk about the Draymond Green stuff:

"Ain’t no relevance in my life. I’m good."
— Stefan Bondy (@SbondyNBA) January 16, 2026

Draymond's Postgame Comments on the Matchup

Draymond Green | Robert Edwards-Imagn Images

Green took a different tone after the final buzzer. He praised Towns in his press conference while admitting he loves getting under his skin. "I don't want to give my secrets away, but I do like the matchup. But I like playing against all the perennial all-stars and stars in the league. I enjoy those matchups. Those are lit matchups that really get me going. It's an honor to play against a talent like Karl Towns," Green said.

Draymond: "It's an honor to play against a talent like Karl Towns…I know I talk my junk, stir the pot…I have to or he gonna drag me…We'll play them at the Garden March, I'll talk…but I got so much respect for him…Brings out best in me…I'm grateful" pic.twitter.com/4mbfAmfTp1
— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) January 16, 2026

He kept going with the backhanded respect. "Make no mistake about it, Karl Towns is one of the better big men in this league. I cherish that opportunity. 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," he explained.

Green wrapped up by acknowledging what happens between the lines. "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," he added.

The Knicks dropped to 25-16 after the loss. They head home needing to get Towns back on track and figure out Brunson's availability. The road trip exposed some cracks, but how they bounce back will tell us a lot.

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