Deron: I have to take better care of the ball

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Deron Williams' numbers are up in many key statistical areas over the past few weeks.

But there's one number that's still irking him: turnovers. Williams is averaging 3.6 turnovers per game since the All-Star break, up from the 2.8 per game clip average through the season's first 50 games.

No doubt, that's alarming and he's fully aware it can't continue.

"I definitely feel like I've been playing better as of late," Williams said following practice at the PNY Center Thursday. "The one thing I haven't been doing very good is taking care of the ball. That's the one thing that I want to try and clean up in my game."

In his last 10 games, Williams' turnover ratio has been at a season high. He's throwing the ball away at a rate of 13.12 percent, meaning he has turned it over 13 times per 100 possessions.

Part of the problem, according to Williams, is he ends up thinking way too much after initially making one bad decision and winds up throwing the ball away again. Before you know it, a snowball effect commences and a pattern develops.

"A lot of it is careless passes, that's the one thing," he said. "It's one of those things. Turnovers for me is mental. Once I get one, I'm thinking about not getting another one and then you end up getting another one because you're not trying to turn it over. It's tough."

As for Friday's matchup with the Mavericks, Williams basically yawned when the subject was brought up. He wasn't about to rehash the fact that he elected to play with the Nets, rather than return home to Dallas and play for Mark Cuban's squad.

"That's behind me," he said. "I play with the Brooklyn Nets and there's no reason to really revisit that. It's another game."