LOS ANGELES — The moment represented one of many dreams David Nwaba held as a life-long Lakers fan.

He would wear a purple and gold uniform. He would play against the hated Boston Celtics. He would play in crunch time.

That glamorous backdrop marked a stark contrast toward what the undrafted guard experience as he spent most of the past season with the Lakers’ Development League affiliate, the D-Fenders. But even as Nwaba walked on the biggest stage he has ever stepped on with his basketball sneakers, the former standout at Los Angeles University High and Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo maintained he hardly felt nervous.

So even if his first experience in the NBA’s historically most renowned rivalry ended with a Lakers’ 115-95 loss to the Celtics on Friday at Staples Center, Nwaba earned heavy praise from Lakers coach Luke Walton after posting seven points on 2-of-2 shooting and two rebounds in 20 minutes off the bench. And to Nwaba, this happened all because of his lack of stage fright in his second NBA appearance.

“I have more confidence and I know what it feels like after the first game,” said Nwaba, who signed a 10-day contract with the Lakers on Tuesday. “It felt a lot better and less nerves.”

As a result, Walton argued that Nwaba served as a “big part of that spark that got us back in the game.” Walton first yanked his starters as the Lakers trailed, 80-49, with 8:50 left in the third quarter. Shortly later at the 6:06 mark, Nwaba went in for an ineffective Brandon Ingram (scoreless on one missed shot and five fouls). Then, Walton found Nwaba’s play “awesome,” as he gushed about how he fought through screens, disrupted passes, contested shots and played multiple positions. Walton then described Nwaba’s play as “really good” as he scored six of his seven points in the fourth quarter, that included a cutting layup, a fast-break layup and two foul shots.

“That felt a little better than last game,” said Nwaba, who went scoreless on one missed shot in five minutes on Tuesday against Charlotte. “At the end of the day it’s about the wins. I’m not about my performance.”

Nwaba will show more of his performance with the D-Fenders on Saturday against the Raptors 905 at the Lakers’ practice facility in El Segundo. Nwaba will then return for when the Lakers host the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday at Staples Center. Then, Nwaba pledges to have a simple mindset.

“We’re just playing basketball,” he said. “It’s better guys. But at the end of the day, it’s just basketball.”

Hence, Nwaba made very little that he was one of the casualties of Boston guard Isaiah Thomas, who had 18 points on 6-of-13 shooting and eight assists.

There’s a lot of good guys. You go to the film room and check out their best moves and try different plays,” Nwaba said. “There’s a lot of good guys and you’re bound to get buckets. It’s just doing the best you can.”

And that involves hustling on defense, playing multiple positions and attacking the basket, qualities that ensured Nwaba experienced more playing time and less anxiety.

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Follow L.A. Daily News Lakers beat writer Mark Medina on Twitter and on Facebook. E-mail him at mmedina@scng.com