Davion Mitchell scores 15 in the fourth to nearly rescue the 0-3 Heat, then says: ‘We’re not in panic mode’

Davion Mitchell scored 15 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter Saturday to drag the Miami Heat back from 23 down in Charlotte, but the comeback ran out of time in a 115-110 loss to the Charlotte Hornets. Afterward, the point guard pushed back on any alarm over the first 0-3 start in Miami since 2007-08. “We’re not in panic mode,” he said, as reported by the Miami Herald. “We’re going to figure it out.”

Mitchell finished with 22 points and 10 assists, shooting 8 of 13 from the field and 3 of 4 from three in 37 minutes. He was a plus-7 on a night Miami lost by five.

The run without the stars

The Heat trailed by 21 after three quarters, 96-75. Then a group of Mitchell, Pelle Larsson, Tim Hardaway Jr., Bobby Portis and Bam Adebayo opened the fourth on a 25-4 run, with Giannis Antetokounmpo on the bench, and tied the game at 100 with 5:42 left. Miami scored 35 in the quarter.

The tie lasted until 104-104. Grayson Allen hit a three while being fouled by Hardaway with 3:19 to play and made the free throw, and Charlotte closed on an 11-6 burst. Brandon Miller scored 34 for the Hornets. Antetokounmpo fouled out with 14 points in under 25 minutes.

A new group still learning

Mitchell framed the slow start as a team still getting acquainted after a summer of change. He described a roster whose players are still learning one another’s games and personalities. His message for the next stretch was to keep pushing.

The numbers explain the urgency. The opening five of Mitchell, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins, Antetokounmpo and Adebayo has been outscored by 30 points in 31 minutes together, while the bench-heavy group that made Saturday’s run found a rhythm. Only four times before had Miami opened 0-3, and the 2007-08 team finished 17-65.

The full box score is in the Game Center.

What comes next

Miami is expected to have its full roster available when it hosts the Dallas Mavericks on Monday, October 26, at 7:30 p.m. ET, with Larsson probable because of a sprained finger. Follow it in the Game Center.