Hornets lose veteran forward Grant Williams to a torn ACL

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Charlotte Hornets forward Grant Williams suffered a torn ACL in his right knee and is out indefinitely, the team announced Sunday.

The injury occurred late in the fourth quarter of Charlotte’s 125-119 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday night.

Williams appeared in 16 games with seven starts this season, averaging 10.3 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.1 steals in 29.9 minutes per game.

The Hornets have been playing without centers Mark Williams and Nick Richards because of injuries, and losing Williams will further hurt their rebounding.

The Charlotte native was acquired in a trade with the Dallas Mavericks on Feb. 8 and has career averages of 7.2 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 380 appearances (108 starts) across six NBA seasons. He was selected in the first round (22nd overall) of the 2019 draft by the Boston Celtics.

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Steve Reed, The Associated Press