Lakers reserve Stanley Johnson’s inspired play a silver lining in loss

The basketball left Stanley Johnson’s right hand, floated toward the basket from the corner and settled into the net for a three-pointer.

Johnson stopped and posed, enjoying adulation from the fans inside Crypto.com Arena.

He had been a bright spot for the Lakers during their 126-121 defeat to the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night.

Stanley was on point on offense. But his main job was to play defense.

And he did it all, scoring 13 points on five-for-seven shooting, grabbing five rebounds and handing out eight assists. Johnson made his first five shots, including three three-pointers.

On his offense growing

“I think it’s just being here longer,” Stanley said. “Seems like you’re a veteran writer. The more you do it, the easier it is, the better it is, right? It’s one of those things like from the day I got here, just learning like where we want to be at and I was watching because I was on South Bay [Lakers], but I think small-ball lineup with me in there at the five and then guarding point guards, I think it was a little different for all of us.

“And I think we’ve done a great job of like honing in on film work and working in small groups to figure out what we do good and what you do good to like get the best out of all of us. It’s March — its been a long season — but I got here Dec. 25. I wish I would have had like a training camp or something like that to get all this stuff in and maybe like in December I’m feeling like I’m feeling right now. But it happens. God works in mysterious ways. I’m just blessed to be here.”

After getting a shot blocked by Joel Embiid, Johnson hit the floor and became upset at no foul being called. He said enough to earn a technical foul with 7:17 left in the third quarter.

Johnson was also given the defensive assignment of defend the lethal James Harden.

What did Stanley give you guys tonight?

“Stanley was great tonight,” Lakers coach Frank Vogel said. “Anytime you play against a guy like James Harden, you have to work your tail off to guard him. But you have to go back at him on the other hand. I thought Stanley did a great job of that. To start the game, really set a tone for our group in terms of, ‘We’re going to attack these guys with aggressive offensive basketball as much as setting our defense.’ And I think he guarded James tonight as well as anybody can guard him. I thought he did a hell of a job.”