The Pool Report interview was conducted by Law Murray (The Athletic) with Crew Chief Pat Fraher following tonight’s Nuggets at Clippers game.

February19, 2026

QUESTION: What determined the technical fouls on each of Jonas Valančiūnas, Bennedict Mathurin, and Kris Dunn, resulting in one free throw for the Nuggets?

 FRAHER: As Valančiūnas detangles from the from the post-matchup, Mathurin is the first one to push Valančiūnas, so you have dead ball contact which is a technical foul. Valančiūnas turns and pushes him back, those are your two offsetting technical fouls, they cancel each other. Then the last push during the same dead ball is by Dunn so there is the one resulting free throw.

QUESTION: Just to clarify there was nothing illegal or out of bounds about the initial tangle between Valančiūnas, and Yanic Konan Niederhauser?

 FRAHER: No.