NBA

Deron Williams rediscovers stellar form

The Nets, who couldn’t get out of their own way while Deron Williams was sidelined, have been one of the NBA’s most efficient team since his return. Their rebounding cost them Wednesday night against Washington, but their point-guard play — and consequently their offense — was brilliant yet again.

Brooklyn lost a 113-107 heartbreaker to Washington, but one could hardly fault Williams. He had another double-double with 15 points and a game-high 13 assists on one side of the court, and on the other he had three steals and helped force the Wizards’ John Wall into a half-dozen turnovers. In short, he was stellar in a losing effort.

“I thought he did a great job of running the show,’’ Nets coach Jason Kidd said. “I think when you have 13 assists, you’re getting guys involved, he had 15 points.0 … Sometimes you turn down a shot to get a teammate a shot, and that’s what point guards do. The good ones in this league, they can sacrifice a shot or two.’’

Since his Dec. 10 return from a sprained ankle — an injury that cost him nine straight games — Williams has done just that, get his teammates involved.

His scoring average has roughly doubled from 9.3 points to 18.0, his shooting percentage has spiked from 40.5 to a scalding 52.6 and his assists have risen from 6.0 to 9.2. As a result, the Nets’ offense has been a well-oiled machine.

“You’re talking about one of the top point guards in this league the way he’s playing right now, the pressure he puts on the defense,’’ Kidd said. “It’s not just him scoring the ball, but getting his teammates shots. It’s good to see him playing at this level, and it’s good to see him healthy.’’

In the four games since his return entering Wednesday, the Nets had been scoring 113.1 points per 100 possessions, and holding opponents to just 96.6 points. That 16.5 net difference had been the best in the league over that span according to NBA.com.

But against the Wizards, even though Williams led the way in the Nets sharing the ball — they had assists on 28 of their 39 baskets, and shot 52.7 percent — it wasn’t enough. They got hammered on the backboards and fell behind by a dozen in the third quarter before he led an ill-fated comeback bid.

They got to 101-100 with 1:57 left on Williams’ 12-foot jumper, but no closer.

“I could’ve played a lot better the whole game,’’ Williams said. “I just feel like my legs caught up with me and I didn’t have that same spring, that same bounce I’ve had the last couple games. But we’ll get it back and hopefully do a better job against Philly [Friday night].’’