Johnson Back in the Swing

Senior swingman Kris Johnson’s adjustment after his four-game suspension seems complete, and with UCLA’s offense in a three- or four-game stall, the Bruins have needed him.

“It feels real easy right now,” Johnson said after scoring 28 points against Arizona and 13--he was three for three from three-point distance--against Arizona State over the weekend. “If I’ve got an open look, I’m pulling it.”

In the two games, Johnson was seven for nine on three-pointers.

But Johnson said he was disappointed in himself for drawing his first technical foul of the season when got into a second-half stare-down with Sun Devil guard Jason Patton.

The technical, because it was an “unsporting” technical, counted as a personal foul as well. That, after a grabbing foul called on Johnson immediately before the staring incident, disqualified him with 12:52 left in the game.

“He got in my face, and I didn’t walk away, so they gave us both technicals,” Johnson said of Patton. “I understood why. Because I didn’t walk away from him. I had to accept it.

“If anything, I was disappointed in myself for not walking away. That’s what you’ve got to do. J.R. [Henderson] did a nice job of telling me what happened. He said, ‘You’re out of the game! What did you do that for? What are you doing?’ OK, thanks, J.R.”