NBA

Nets guard Williams hates sting of losing

Nets point guard Deron Williams was frustrated enough with Monday’s 105-100 home loss to the Cavaliers that he didn’t speak to reporters after a game for the first time this season.

In the eyes of coach Avery Johnson, that only underscored Williams’ desire to get the Nets, who have lost three straight and five out of six, turned around as the NBA regular season enters its final stages.

“The guy wants to win,” Johnson said. “He’s all about winning. That’s him. He’s not about contracts, he’s not about star power. He’s about winning. That’s what I’ve found out most about him. That’s all he cares about. That’s what I want.

“If that [means] sometime after a game he’s dejected and he doesn’t want to talk to anybody, I understand that.”

Williams, who picked up a technical foul in Monday’s game, admitted at least part of his decision not to speak after the game was centered around knowing that any criticism of the referees would be followed by a fine from the NBA offices.

“I wanted to keep my money,” he said with a smile. “I thought it was better to leave than talk with a hot head.”

But that wasn’t the only thing that bothered him from Monday’s loss, a game the Nets held a six-point lead midway through the fourth quarter before the Cavaliers closed out the game with a 23-12 run over the final 6:45.

The Nets also were dominated on the boards, as they were outrebounded 55-37 overall and 21-10 on the offensive glass, numbers that helped Cleveland accumulate a staggering 66 points in the paint.

“It was frustrating, definitely frustrating,” Williams said. “They got offensive rebound after offensive rebound and putbacks and scored 66 points in the paint. That’s where we lost the game.”

That’s why, ahead of Wednesday’s home game against the Wizards, Johnson put the team through a practice focused on defense.

“You’ve got to want to play defense,’’ Johnson said. “Offense is easy. That’s why people say defense wins championships, right? So we’ve got to do a much better job.’’

tbontemps@nypost.com