Atlanta Hawks guard Lou Williams out for season with torn ACL

Hawks guard Lou Williams was averaging 14.1 points per game this season after signing as a free agent. (David Sherman/Getty Images)

Atlants Hawks guard Lou Williams will miss the remainder of the season after tearing the ACL in his right knee, the team has announced.

Williams, the longtime Sixer who signed a three-year, $16-million contract to play in his hometown Atlanta this offseason, suffered the injury during a game against the Nets on Friday. He was a Sixth Man of the Year candidate, averaging 14.1 points and 3.6 assists off the bench for the 22-17 Hawks.

An X-ray on Friday was negative, but an MRI on Saturday afternoon revealed the tear, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Chris Vivlamore.

The Hawks lost Williams with 7:12 remaining in the second quarter with an initial diagnosis of a right knee sprain pending further tests. Williams was driving to the basket and pulled up without contact. He screamed out several times as he continued off the court without putting weight on his leg. After lying down in the entryway to the arena to be attended to by Hawks trainers, Williams was taken to the locker room in a wheelchair.