SAN FRANCISCO — The nice guy won more battles but lost the game.
Facing callous bully Draymond Green, Karl-Anthony Towns produced a game-high 29 points with a game-high 12 rebounds before fouling out with 6.1 seconds remaining.
But the center, along with his Knicks teammates, faltered down the stretch and allowed Green the final taunt Saturday night in the Warriors’ 97-94 victory.
Karl-Anthony Towns looks to make a move on Draymond Green during the Knicks’ 97-94 loss to the Warriors on March 15, 2025. AP
The Knicks (42-24) went cold in the final 2:45, failing miserably down the stretch without injured closer Jalen Brunson.
Green hit the dagger — a lay-up with 25 seconds left that gave the Warriors a six-point lead.
He then skipped down the court with his hands on the side of his face, the ‘goodnight’ gesture made famous by Steph Curry in the Olympics.
The backdrop was a reckless comment from Green, who spread a rumor on his podcast that Towns missed a game against the Warriors this month at MSG because he was ducking longtime nemesis Jimmy Butler. Green figured Towns was faking an injury, although he acknowledged, “I didn’t look that deep into it to figure out what his injury was.” In reality, Towns missed the game to attend the funeral of a close family friend who died after a long battle with breast cancer.
In the aftermath, Green, who has tried to bully Towns for years, was unapologetic and plugged his podcast. Towns offered, “I choose to approach that with love, not hate.”
Stephen Curry shoots over OG Anunoby during the Knicks’ loss to the Warriors on March 15, 2025. NBAE via Getty Images
Appropriately, Green lined up as the primary defender on Towns for most of the evening. And it started exquisitely for the Knicks center. In the game’s first possession, Towns blew past Green on a pump fake for a dunk.
Within six minutes, Towns had 11 points and five rebounds. It felt personal. But the adrenaline also backfired. Towns succumbed to early foul trouble. And with 8:08 left in the second quarter, tensions spilled over.
Towns and Green locked up on the perimeter, with the Knicks center getting whistled for a loose ball foul. It was already the third infraction on Towns, which prompted Green to point to the Knicks bench and say, “Get him off.”
Karl-Anthony Towns goes up for a dunk during the Knicks’ loss to the Warriors. NBAE via Getty Images
Towns walked to Green and the two were separated after a very brief face-to-face yelling session.
That was the end of Towns’ first half.
But KAT picked up where he left off after the break. In roughly the opening two minutes of the third quarter, he buried a deep 3-pointer on Butler and a lefty hook over Green. The Knicks even survived the dreaded third quarter against the Warriors, entering the final period with just a 75-72 deficit.
Mikal Bridges goes up for a floater during the Knicks’ loss to the Warriors. Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images
“I’ve known them do what they do in the third quarter for a long time,” Towns said. “One of the best teams assembled for the third quarter.”
With 2:45 remaining, Mikal Bridges, who finished with 19 points, tied the game with a pull-up up. The Warriors (39-28) followed with a game-breaking 7-1 run to finish the Knicks.
Anger also infiltrated the Knicks bench. During a timeout in the fourth quarter, Josh Hart, who shot a miserable 0 for 7 with 0 points, shouted angrily back-and-forth with Tom Thibodeau. The coach looked especially upset as he grilled his standing player from his seat.
A frustrated Draymond Green gestures during the Knicks’ loss to the Warriors. AP
OG Anunoby added 23 points and nine rebounds. Miles McBride had 19 points while defending Curry.
Before the game, Thibodeau went all-out praising Towns, calling him the most versatile scoring center in the NBA. That list presumably includes Nikola Jokic.
OG Anunoby looks to make a move during the Knicks’ loss to the Warriors. Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images
“I think when you look at his career, he’s had a terrific career. He was winning at a high level (with the Timberwolves),” the Knicks coach said. “I think as a league, everyone was moving to the skilled five at that position. There’s not, I don’t think, in my opinion, a more skilled center than he is, in terms of his ability to score at all three levels. And then his passing ability on top of that, and he’s always been an elite rebounder. I think along with his experience, each year in Minnesota he got better. And he sacrificed a lot. When they traded for Rudy (Gobert), he moved to the power forward position and then they got Anthony Edwards, he adapted to that as well. They got to the Western Conference Finals because of his willingness to sacrifice and put the team first, so I thought that would be a good fit for us.”
