What It Means:

Williams said he was in "excruciating pain," after logging 26 minutes during Game 2, so it sounds like his absence could extend beyond Thursday night. Devin Harris or J.J. Barea (groin) will likely move into the starting five sans Williams, with Raymond Felton, Justin Anderson and Dirk Nowitzki seeing some increased opportunity on offense.

Williams ranked 99th with a -1.9 nERD in 65 games played this season. Through the first two playoff games, he's averaging 7.5 points, 4.0 assists, 1.0 rebounds and 1.5 3-pointers on 33.3 percent shooting from the field.