The Atlanta Hawks took a huge blow last night when they lost guard Lou Williams to a torn ACL.  Read more after the jump.

Shay Marie

Williams will miss the rest of the season following surgery and will then be given a timetable for return.

Williams injured the knee in the second quarter of Atlanta’s 94-89 loss. It was a non-contact injury as the knee buckled during a hard drive to the basket. Williams left the floor in a wheelchair.

“We are extremely disappointed for Lou, and our thoughts and support will be with him during his recovery,” said Danny Ferry, the Hawks’ president of basketball operations and general manager in a statement. “He has been a complete professional in every sense of the word and know that approach, along with his work ethic, will serve him well in his rehabilitation.”

Williams, 26, is averaging 14.1 points, 3.6 assists and 2.1 rebounds in 28.7 minutes. He has become an extremely valuable piece to the team’s depth, adding a serious weapon to the bench. His creating and isolation scoring ability had him emerge as a potential Sixth Man of the Year candidate.

The Hawks are sixth in the East at 22-17 but, without Williams, will face a serious uphill battle.

CBS Sports