Report: Jazz guard Williams tore ACL in collision with Rockets' Eason

Utah Jazz guard Vince Williams Jr. will miss the rest of the season after tearing his ACL against the Houston Rockets on Monday, sources told ESPN's Shams Charania.

Williams sustained the injury when he awkwardly planted his left leg following a collision with Rockets forward Tari Eason in the second quarter. As Williams ran back to defend a Rockets fast break, Eason appeared to bump the Jazz guard by Utah's bench, causing him to lose balance. The 25-year-old needed help off the court before being carried to the locker room.

Eason said he didn't intend to hurt Williams on the play and that he checked in on the Jazz guard after the contest to apologize.

"I've known Vince for a little bit, and he's just a really good dude, hard-working dude," Eason told Sarah Todd of Deseret News. "It was just respect. I've got a lot of respect for him, and I know it's his contract year. ... I didn't intend on doing anything. My intentions are always just to play hard. So I went to go holler and just check on him.

"Obviously, nothing helps, but just tell him that I apologize. You know, nobody's trying to hurt anybody."

Williams, the 47th overall pick in 2022, arrived in Utah on Feb. 3 as part of the eight-player deal that also brought over big man Jaren Jackson Jr. In 40 combined games with both teams this season, Williams is averaging 7.5 points, 4.2 assists, and 3.9 rebounds.

Williams is the third Jazz player expected to miss the rest of the season since the trade deadline. Center Jusuf Nurkic was ruled out Monday as he's set to undergo nose surgery, while Jackson is also likely to be sidelined following an operation to remove a noncancerous tumor in his knee.