Cavs' Mo Williams to play through torn thumb ligament

Cleveland Cavaliers backup point guard Mo Williams revealed Friday that he has a partially torn ligament in his right thumb, but plans to play through it, Chris Haynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

The tear, which affects Williams' dominant hand, is expected to take six weeks to fully heal.

Williams missed three games in late December with the thumb ailment, which was initially called a sprain. He received a second opinion this week, and said he left feeling reassured that playing through the injury wouldn't put him at risk of long-term damage.

"I just needed peace of mind that it wasn't anything serious," he said, according to Haynes. "I'm relieved."

After a torrid start to the season in which he admirably filled in for a recuperating Kyrie Irving, Williams has cooled off in a big way, perhaps owing to his compromised shooting hand. With a healthy Irving now back in the fray, Williams has been losing backup minutes to Matthew Dellavedova, and received DNP-CD's in each of the Cavs' last two games.

To wit: Williams averaged 15.6 points and 4.5 assists in 30.8 minutes per game in November, with a 62.3 true shooting percentage and a plus-3.8 net rating. In December, those numbers plummeted to 6.7 points and 2.3 assists in 17.5 minutes, with an unsightly 46.6 true shooting percentage and unsightlier minus-18.8 net rating. He's played just one game so far in January.

The Cavs have been a staggering 15.3 points per 100 possessions better with Williams on the bench, and are 8-0 in games he's sat out entirely.