DISCONNECTED: Jeremy Lin and Carmelo Anthony fumble a handoff as the Nets’ Anthony Morrow gets a hand in the way. Anthony scored just 11 points and turned it over six times as he returned over a groin injury. (Jeff Zelevansky)
THREE-VENGE: Deron Williams, Jeremy Lin’s first victim, celebrates a 3-pointer on his way to a season-high 38 points. (Getty Images)
The fears Carmelo Anthony would hurt the wonderful chemistry the Knicks created under Jeremy Lin proved true last night in a Garden stinker.
Nets point guard Deron Williams, who was the first victim of Linsanity 17 days ago, exacted his revenge with a 100-92 Brooklyn-style beating of Lin’s lackluster Knicks in Anthony’s disastrous return.
Williams, who said he had the rematch “circled on his calendar,’’ scored 38 points, including a career-high eight 3-pointers, handed out six assists and sent Garden fans to the exits with three minutes left.
Anthony, after missing seven straight games and 3¹/₂ quarters of the previous one because of a strained groin, committed six turnovers, scored just 11 points on 4-of-11 shooting and never jelled with Lin.
“My mindset was to come in and try not to do too much, try to fit in and try to play my game within the system and the way they’ve been playing the last couple of weeks,’’ Anthony said. “Passing the ball and trying to find the open man and making the right play, I felt good with that.’’
It didn’t look good. Lin appeared less in sync despite his excellent numbers. He finished with 21 points, nine assists, seven rebounds, four steals and just three turnovers, but didn’t have command of the offense and failed to defend Williams.
In the illustrative moment of the night, Lin and Anthony failed to connect in the fourth quarter on a simple handoff on the sidelines as Anthony let the ball flutter out of bounds.
“I think any time you have three new players, people coming back, your identity as a team is going to change with the personnel,’’ Lin said. “We are not in panic mode because it is not like people show up and you have great chemistry.
“We both can make plays,’’ Lin added of himself and Anthony. “We need to find a good balance. It’s a little tough with no practice time — it is Day 1.’’
The Knicks (16-17) are making major adjustments to their lineup on the fly. It’s hurt the chemistry built on the seven-game winning streak that started 17 days ago when Lin destroyed Deron in a whopping Garden victory over the Nets.
Anthony and backup point Baron Davis — who had three points and one assists in 9:40 in a forgettable season debut after sitting out because of a herniated disk — joined the mix last night as the club took a major step back. Shooting guard J.R. Smith debuted Sunday.
Lin spent less time with the ball in his hands creating as Anthony alternated between rusty, sloppy and awful and seemed to throw the Knicks out of rhythm.
Anthony said that wasn’t the intention.
“I want Jeremy to have the ball, hands down,’’ Anthony said. “I want him to create for me. I want him to create for Amar’e [Stoudemire]. I want him to create for everybody. I want him to be as aggressive as he has been over the past two weeks. I want that.”
Anthony, however, played a third quarter from hell when he couldn’t do anything right and the Nets seized control of the game.
“We’re adding two, three guys,’’ Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni said. “We’re not rolling. We have to get some things sorted out, and we know that. We have to figure out the type of team and the identity we have to have.
“The biggest problem was Deron,’’ the Knicks coach added. “He was very good. Having said that, our energy wasn’t where it had to be. It wasn’t right the whole night.’’
Williams strutted all night, high-stepped on a dribble against Lin, put up three fingers after a big trey in the third quarter and all but squashed the great buzz the Garden has had for the past 2 ½ weeks.
Williams scored 18 points in the third quarter alone. After hitting a 3-pointer off a fast break, Williams raced to the Nets bench and shoulder-bumped teammates to mimic Lin’s Knicks, who had overpowered the defending champion Mavericks on Sunday.
”We’re definitely figuring it out,’’ Stoudemire said. “It’s just a matter of time. It’s his first game back.’’
The Knicks have now lost two of three games following their seven-game Linning streak, against two rotten teams in the Nets and Hornets.
In a series of missteps in the third quarter, Anthony picked up an offensive foul trying to get position on DeShawn Stevenson in the low post. On the next possession, Anthony missed two free throws that led to Williams knocking in a 3-pointer going the other way.
Anthony then committed two more turnovers in a two-minute span, losing the ball out of bounds on a drive and throwing an interception. He also a received a technical foul for intentionally tripping Kris Humphries after Humphries scored on a putback. Anthony heard a smattering of boos when he departed.
“It’s just one of them games,” Anthony said. “I had to come out and get the rust off of me and be ready for Atlanta [on Wednesday].”
marc.berman@nypost.com