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Rudy Gay available for gold medal game despite chipped tooth

Gustau Nacarino / Reuters

It sounded painful enough when we believed the only damage Rudy Gay sustained as a result of a Lithuanian elbow to the face on Thursday was some "shoved back" teeth.

Gay told USA TODAY Sports' Sam Amick  on Saturday, however, that his injuries are even worse.

"I've got a fracture in my jaw, a broken tooth and am going to probably need a root canal," Gay explained. "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."

Later, Amick updated the story with a report from a team official, who says Gay's jaw isn't broken, but he does have a chipped tooth and some bruising around a tooth socket. 

Gay also said that while he isn't sure which brother caught him with an elbow, he is sure it was one of the big Lavrinovic twins that Lithuania employs. "I couldn't tell them apart," Gay said.

The Americans trounced Lithuania, 96-68 , in their semifinal matchup to set up a championship game against Serbia on Sunday. Thursday's chippy semifinal also saw DeMarcus Cousins catch an elbow from Jonas Valanciunas.

While Gay's injuries sound incredibly painful and cumbersome, he is expected to be available for Sunday's big game.

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