Rudy Gay and Team USA are headed to the gold medal game in the FIBA World Cup, but the veteran forward won't be smiling if they finish off their run with a championship. Gay suffered a fractured jaw, broken tooth and will likely need a root canal when he returns back home to the United States, reports USA Today's Sam Amick:
Rudy Gay suffered fractured jaw against Lithuania, cleared to play in FIBA World Cup gold medal game
Team USA has been all smiles during their undefeated run in Spain, but Rudy Gay might keep his lips tight if they capture the gold medal.
David Banks-USA TODAY Sports
Gay took a vicious elbow to the top of his mouth in the third quarter of Team USA’s Thursday win over Lithuania, and the damage done will be coming home with him after Sunday’s gold medal game against Serbia and this FIBA World Cup comes to an end.
“I’ve got a fracture in my jaw, a broken tooth and am going to probably need a root canal,” Gay told USA TODAY Sports. “The top is where I got hit. It’s painful. It’s uncomfortable, and it still bleeds, so I’ve got to continuously gargle. It is what it is, man.”
The injury occurred when Gay drove to the rim and 6’11 Lithuanian big man Darjus Lavrinovic put his arms up, catching Gay with his elbow. Here’s the play in a quick, albeit blurry, clip:
USA went on to defeat Lithuania in another blowout, sending them to the bronze medal game against France. France has since defeated Lithuania, capturing third place in the tournament. Nicolas Batum led the way with 27 points, pushing France to it’s first medal finish in the FIBA World Cup.
Gay is cleared to play for Team USA on Sunday when they face Serbia in the FIBA World Cup Finals. He’s averaged 5.4 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game off the bench, rounding out USA’s forward depth.
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