DeMarcus Cousins ​​Calls Out Karl-Anthony Towns For ‘Punking’ Him All The Time

The The New York Knicks’ recent slump continued Monday night with a 114-97 loss by the Dallas Mavericks, their fourth straight loss, which led to the former NBA All-Star DeMarcus Cousins to publicly criticize Karl-Anthony Towns for what he described as a pattern of failure to stand up for himself.

Cousins ​​addressed the situation on the latest episode of FanDuel’s Run It Back, evaluating after a report suggested some Knicks players were upset with head coach Mike Brown for hugging Draymond Green following a 126-113 loss to the Golden State Warriors last Thursday.

Instead, Cousins ​​dismissed the idea that the postgame interaction was a significant issue blame shifting towards the cities.

“When things are bad, the smallest things can make them worse,” Cousins ​​said. “Obviously they have issues, but this is a reach. They obviously have a relationship, Draymond has coached this guy for years, they’ve won titles with each other. They have a real relationship. If one of you should be mad, it should be KAT.”

Cousins ​​then sharpened his criticism, focusing on Towns’ on-court behavior and reputation around the league.

“He should be defending,” Cousins ​​said. “Stop letting these players fool you bro. Simple as that.”

“If you want to be mad at anybody, it should be KAT. Stand up for yourself, the scouting report is to fail KAT.”

Boogie Cousins ​​on the Knicks is reportedly not happy with Mike Brown and Draymond Green’s in-game interactions 🗣

(via @RunItBackFDTV)pic.tvitter.com/LKIitJUBnJ

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) January 21, 2026

DeMarcus Cousins ​​Says ‘Scouting Report’ Targets Karl-Anthony Towns Over Knicks’ Skid

When asked if his comments were victim-blaming, Cousins ​​doubled down, claiming opposing teams consistently test Towns because they believe he won’t answer.

“No, I’m stating the facts,” Cousins ​​said. “If you’re going to be mad at anybody, it should be KAT. Stand up and stand up for yourself. The scouting report is to break in KAT. Does everybody up here know that? If anyone should be mad, it should be KAT. Stand up for yourself, stop letting these things happen, be a man bro. At the end of the day, man, he bled…”

Towns, 30, is in his second season in New York and remains one of the team’s primary offensive options. In 40 games, he is averaging 21 points, 11.6 rebounds and three assists per game in 32.3 minutes per game. His efficiency declined, however, as he shot a career-low 46.7 percent from the field and 35.8 percent from three-point range.

The Knicks’ loss to Dallas dropped them to 25-18 on the season. They were 3-9 in their last 12 games and have struggled to regain momentum from winning the NBA Cup in Las Vegas. Since that tournament win, New York is just 7-11 overall, with defensive lapses and inconsistent physicality recurring.

Despite their recent slide, the Knicks haven’t fallen far in the Eastern Conference standings. They are currently in third place in the conference, thanks to a steady push near the top of the playoffs.

New York will look to stabilize when they host the Brooklyn Nets (12-29) on Wednesday night at 7:30 PM ET, closing out a three-game homestand as scrutiny over leadership and team toughness continues to intensify.