The Utah Jazz picked up an impressive victory over the Toronto Raptors in Salt Lake City during Thursday night’s NBA action — winning 119-103. Utah had a dominant third quarter to help pull away from a Raptors team that went into halftime winning by two points.
Seven different players scored in double-figures, as it was a total team effort for the Jazz. The biggest takeaway from the game was the performance of Rudy Gay.
Gay had missed the first 14 games of the season as he recovered from offseason surgery on his right heel. It was a daunting process, as Gay had to re-teach himself how to walk for the second time in his playing career. But, he was motivated to get back on the court and the hard work that he put in paid off right away.
On a minutes restriction, he played 18 minutes off the bench. He made the most of his opportunities and didn’t seem like he missed a beat. Gay scored a team-high tying 20 points, knocking down seven of his eight shot attempts, including 5-of-6 from 3-point territory. Five rebounds and two assists were recorded as well in his season debut.
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His presence will help the Jazz take their game to the next level. He is a veteran that knows his role and plays it very well, earning the praise of head coach Quin Snyder.
“He played within himself,” Snyder said. “Made the game easy because of the decisions that he made. He made shots, but that’s a byproduct of making the right play.”
The Utah Jazz has one of the more impressive bench units in the NBA with Gay being added to the mix along with reigning Sixth Man of the Year Jordan Clarkson, Joe Ingles and Hassan Whiteside.
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How many teams can say they have someone approaching the milestone that Rudy Gay is coming off their bench?
“I’m no slouch,” Gay said. “I am closing in on 20,000 points. There’s a lot of threes in there. I’m usually humble but I can score.”
Having him on the second unit will make this team even more difficult to beat on a given night.
