AUBURN HILLS, Mich. —Nearly every game this season has seen Deron Williams come up limping or grabbing something in pain. The Nets’ 93-90 win over the Pistons Wednesday night was no exception.
Williams banged his right leg early in the first quarter, causing him to limp for a few minutes. Later, he had athletic trainer Tim Walsh take a look at his left shoulder after running into a screen.
“Right now, I think he’s sore,” Nets interim coach P.J. Carlesimo said. “There’s no question. Someone like Deron, who played all summer … we are beyond the halfway mark, so the guys that are playing big minutes are beat up. They are sore.
“In his case, his ankle and his wrist. He’s had trouble with that the whole year. The one good thing that comes from him not going to Houston [for the All-Star Game] as we speak, is getting a little chance to rest up a little bit.”
Williams, who, among other things, had a cortisone injection in his left ankle to help deal with bone spurs during training camp, has been going non-stop basically since the beginning of last season — immediately going into training for the London Olympics.
After finishing with 12 points, nine assists and two blocked shots last night, Williams said he was looking forward to getting a few days off next weekend, instead of making what would be his fourth All-Star appearance alongside center Brook Lopez in Houston.
* Williams became the 56th person to reach 5,000 assists when he hit Gerald Wallace for a jumper early in the first quarter.
“I don’t think anything about that stuff, to tell you the truth,” Williams said. “I haven’t thought about 5,000 assists all week. The only time I think about it is when you guys bring it up.
“That stuff comes when you’re playing. If you play long enough, and at a high level, those things come. I don’t really pay any attention, to tell you the truth.”
* Wednesday night’s win snapped a 10-game Nets losing streak in Detroit, dating back to December 2006.