:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/23927521/usatsi_4362388.0_standard_709.0.0.jpg)
Ricky Davis' first game with the Erie BayHawks this season didn't go as well as you may have expected. After all, we're talking about someone who has played in over 700 NBA games, scored close to 10,000 and goes by the name of "Get Buckets." Putting up 10 points in 32 minutes doesn't really tell that tale. But truth be told, he looked good. His performance wasn't one that raised eyebrows, but nonetheless, he looked comfortable and willing to work within the system, which means a lot coming from 11-year veteran, as Keith Schlosser explained in his article.
But in his second game on Sunday night, he looked more like the Ricky Davis of old; the one who did, in fact, get buckets; the one who, on any given night, could put up gaudy stats across the board and do so in a flashy way. Unfortunately for Ricky, it came in a losing effort, as the BayHawks lost to the Maine Red Claws, 127-100.
But as I was saying: He did his thing.
In 32 minutes, Ricky put up 22 points, nine rebounds, six assists and one steal. He shot 8-for-18 from the floor and 2-for-4 from the three point line. The only thing holding him back from flirting a little more with that triple double was foul trouble - Davis picked up his fourth personal foul within the opening minutes of the third quarter. Well, that and the fact that the Red Claws held a comfortable lead for most of the night.
For most of the first half, Ricky was focused on getting his teammates involved - in the first two quarters, he dished out four of his team-high six assists. But in the third, he started looking for his own shot and good things came of it, as he accounted for half of the Bayhawks' points in the quarter, scoring 11 points on a handful of tough jump-shots.
The BayHawks are now 0-2 after losing to the Charge on opening night and the Red Claws on Sunday, but the good news is that Ricky Davis already looks more comfortable in just his second game, which will not only help the BayHawks bounce back from their rough start, yet also his chances of making it back to the NBA.