After slow start, Miami backup guard Davion Mitchell emerges as surprise OT star in win over Hawks

ATLANTA (AP) — Through the first half of Miami's NBA Play-In Tournament elimination game at Atlanta, Heat backup guard Davion Mitchell did not look a contender to finish as one of the stars of the game.

Mitchell missed each of his four shots in the first half and had only one point. At the end of regulation, he still had only seven points.

Then something clicked for Mitchell. After the Heat entered overtime tied with Atlanta at 106, Mitchell made three of four shots — all 3-pointers — in the extra period to help lead Miami to a 123-114 win on Friday night. Mitchell finished with 16 points and helped Miami advance to the playoffs, where it will face Cleveland, the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference.

The Heat became the first No. 10 seed in either conference to make the playoffs since the current play-in format was launched in the 2020-21 season. Miami also became the first play-in team to advance with two road wins.

Tyler Herro added two 3s in overtime to lead Miami with 30 points.

Herro's scoring lead was expected. Mitchell's starring role was a surprise. He warmed up for the extra period by making a 3-pointer in the fourth quarter.

“For him to struggle like that in the first half and have that kind of fourth quarter and overtime really speaks to his character,” Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said of Mitchell.

Mitchell said the support of Spoelstra and his teammates helped give him the confidence to keep shooting, especially in overtime.

“I feel I was forcing it in the first half, trying to do too much,” Mitchell said.

“I just kind of re-set in my mind ... and let the game come to me. ... I just believe in the work I've put in. Even if I'm missing shots, it's OK.”

Mitchell averaged 7.9 points, but scored 15, making each of his two 3-pointers, in Miami's 109-90 win at Chicago on Wednesday night in its first Play-In Tournament win.

Mitchell's big game against the Hawks came in his return to his home state. Mitchell was born in Hinesville, Georgia, and began his college career at Auburn before transferring to Baylor. He helped Baylor win its first NCAA championship.

Mitchell began his NBA career in Sacramento and was acquired by Miami from Toronto in a five-team trade on Feb. 6 that sent Jimmy Butler to Golden State.

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Miami Heat guard Davion Mitchell (45) celebrates with teammate Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (13) in overtime of an NBA play-in tournament basketball game against the Atlanta Hawks, Friday, April 18, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

Miami Heat guard Davion Mitchell (45) dribbles against Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson (1) in overtime of an NBA play-in tournament basketball game against the Friday, April 18, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

Miami Heat guard Davion Mitchell (45) and Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels (5) both go for the rebound in the second half of an NBA play-in tournament basketball game, Friday, April 18, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

Miami Heat guard Davion Mitchell (45) dribbles against Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson (1) in overtime of an NBA play-in tournament basketball game against the Friday, April 18, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

Miami Heat guard Davion Mitchell (45) cheers to the bench after scoring in overtime of an NBA play-in tournament basketball game against the Atlanta Hawks, Friday, April 18, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

Miami Heat guard Davion Mitchell (45) passes the ball in overtime of an NBA play-in tournament basketball game against the Atlanta Hawks, Friday, April 18, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

Miami Heat guard Davion Mitchell (45) is seen in overtime of an NBA play-in tournament basketball game against the Atlanta Hawks, Friday, April 18, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

Miami Heat guard Davion Mitchell (45) leaves the court after a win against the Atlanta Hawks, after an NBA play-in tournament basketball, Friday, April 18, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

Miami Heat guard Davion Mitchell (45) leaves the court after a win against the Atlanta Hawks, after an NBA play-in tournament basketball, Friday, April 18, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

Miami Heat guard Davion Mitchell (45) reacts in the second half of an NBA play-in tournament basketball game against the Atlanta Hawks, Friday, April 18, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

It was late in the afternoon and lightly snowing when four rock climbers, working their way up a steep gully between two peaks in Washington’s North Cascades Range, decided to turn around for a descent down the mountain that would claim three of their lives.

As they climbed down, the four attached their ropes to an piton — a metal spike pounded into rock cracks or ice and used to secure ropes — that had been placed by a past climber. As one of the men began rappelling off the piton, it ripped out of the mountain, sending all four falling past ice and snow and rock.

They fell some 200 feet (60 meters), landing in a more sloping ravine where they tumbled for another roughly 200 feet before coming to a stop in a tangle of rope.

Three were killed by the fall. One was knocked unconscious.

Anton Tselykh awoke in the dark. It had been hours since the fall.

Over the course of several hours, he extricated himself from the tangle of ropes, gear and debris and trekked over rough terrain of rock and snow — with help from a pick-like ice tool — to his car.

He drove for some 40 miles (64 kilometers) before finding a pay phone and calling for help in Newhalem, an unincorporated community about an hour's drive away. It was Sunday morning, eight hours since he regained consciousness.

From a Seattle hospital Wednesday morning, Tselykh, recovering from head trauma and internal bleeding, told authorities what had happened. He was in satisfactory condition at Harborview Medical Center, meaning he was not in the intensive care unit, Susan Gregg, media relations director for UW Medicine, said in an email.

Tselykh, 38, confirmed authorities' theories of what led to the deaths of his three companions, identified as Vishnu Irigireddy, 48; Tim Nguyen, 63; and Oleksander Martynenko, 36.

A three-person search and rescue team had responded to the site of the fall following Tselykh's call, said Cristina Woodworth, who led the team and spoke with the lone survivor by phone Wednesday. The team had followed coordinates from a GPS device the climbers had been carrying, which were shared by a friend of the men.

The rough terrain required a helicopter, which removed the bodies one at a time, Woodworth said.

Responders pored over the recovered equipment, trying to decipher what caused the fall. They found the piton still clipped into the climbers’ ropes, Okanogan County Coroner Dave Rodriguez said. Pitons are difficult to remove from rock, he said, and the anchor's presence on the rope was a clue to what happened.

Generally, setting up a backup anchor is a common practice among climbers, said Joshua Cole, a guide and co-owner of North Cascades Mountain Guides, who has been climbing in the area for about 20 years. It's still unclear whether the four had a backup.

The four climbers were friends, some of whom had climbed together before and appeared fairly experienced, Woodworth said, adding that Tselykh was “obviously very much affected by this.”

Irigireddy was a vice president of engineering at the Fluke Corporation, a test equipment manufacturing company, which released a statement Wednesday.

“Vishnu was an extraordinary leader, and his loss is felt profoundly across our organization,” the statement read.

Martynenko’s wife, Olga, said Tuesday in a Facebook post that her husband, whom she referred to as Alex, also left behind their son. She shared a link to a fundraiser to help “during the most devastating time of our lives.”

“I still cannot believe that you are gone, my love."

Bedayn is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

The Okanogan County Search and Rescue team responds to a climbing accident in the North Cascades mountains in Washington on Sunday, May 11, 2025. (Okanogan County Sheriff's Office via AP)

The Okanogan County Search and Rescue team responds to a climbing accident in the North Cascades mountains in Washington on Sunday, May 11, 2025. (Okanogan County Sheriff's Office via AP)

The Okanogan County Search and Rescue team responds to a climbing accident in the North Cascades mountains in Washington on Sunday, May 11, 2025. (Okanogan County Sheriff's Office via AP)