The Pool Report interview was conducted by Tony East (Forbes) with Crew Chief Zach Zarba following tonight’s Cleveland at Indiana game.

QUESTION: What specifically made Bennedict Mathurin’s time on the rim worthy of a technical foul?

ZARBA: It wasn’t his time on the rim, it was the act of doing a pull-up or a chin-up on the rim where his whole head was above the rim.  That pull-up was deemed worthy of a non-unsportsmanlike technical foul.

QUESTION: And what specifically led to Bennedict’s second technical and why did Donovan Mitchell get two free throws from that act?

ZARBA: Bennedict Mathurin, after being correctly called for a foul, was issued two technical fouls in a row – two consecutive technical fouls for unsportsmanlike behavior toward a game official.  Each of those technical fouls, the other team is awarded one free throw.  So, Donovan Mitchell shot one free throw for each of the technical fouls assessed to Mathurin.

QUESTION: So for clarity, [Mathurin] was assessed three technical fouls in the game?

ZARBA: Correct.  One was a non-unsportsmanlike for hanging on the rim, and then two consecutive technical fouls after the foul call.  And what happened after is that [Evan] Mobley then shot the two free throws for the foul that was originally called on Mathurin.

QUESTION: And why did Andrew Nembhard’s first-half foul meet the criteria for an unsportsmanlike flagrant?

ZARBA:  It wasn’t deemed a flagrant foul.  The play was reviewed for a flagrant foul after a defensive foul was called on [Myles] Turner first.  During that flagrant foul review, Nembhard was observed elbowing [Jarrett] Allen in the chest causing him to fall to the floor.  That act was deemed worthy of an unsportsmanlike technical foul and was added during the review.