The Pool Report interview was conducted by Vinny Benedetto (Denver Gazette) with Crew Chief Ed Malloy following tonight’s Lakers at Nuggets game.

March 5, 2026

QUESTION: What did Luka Dončić do to warrant a technical foul? It appeared the referee waited until after a transition possession to call it. Why was there a delay?

MALLOY: Dončić was issued a technical foul for using profanity directed towards a referee.  We are trained not to stop an offensive transition when calling a technical foul on the defense. 

QUESTION: Near the end of the second quarter, the Nuggets appeared to turn the ball over on an inbounds pass. After the Lakers gained possession, the play was stopped and the Nugget were allowed to inbound the ball again. Why was that decision made?

MALLOY: The decision was made because Jokić never had control of the ball out of bounds, therefore it was not a legal throw in.