It was about the time David Robinson showed up at the Alamodome with a slight limp that the Spurs knew good help might be hard to find Tuesday night.

As it turned out, the Spurs would have simply settled for a pair of good hands.

After committing 15 turnovers in the first three quarters, then going scoreless for the first 5:57 of the final quarter, the Spurs fell 78-73 to Charlotte on Tuesday night at the Alamodome.

About 10 minutes after the game ended, police officers, ushers and security guards evacuated the Alamodome because of a bomb threat.

Though most of the crowd of 16,624 had already begun filing out, some of the players were still in their uniforms when they were told about the threat. After a sweep, the building was declared safe about 11:20 p.m.

For all the things that clicked for the Hornets in Tuesday's victory at San Antonio -- and there were quite a few -- none got coach Paul Silas as excited as the continued emergence of George Lynch.

Lynch was one of the keys to yet another major effort from the Charlotte bench, helping solidify the defense that limited the Spurs to a season low in points, field goals made and assists. It was another sign he is quickly getting back on his game after foot surgery kept him out of the season's first 36 games.

"George went into the game talking," Silas said in reference to the help-a-teammate chatter that keeps the defenders alert and effective. "He and Stacey Augmon really ignited that, along with David Wesley, and then all the guys started talking."

Lynch, a 6-foot-8 forward in his ninth NBA season, came to Charlotte in October in a trade with Philadelphia. He is known for his defense and knack for doing the little things that help a team win, much as P.J. Brown does. He has played in seven games since coming off the injured list, and his 24-minute stint at San Antonio was his longest of the season.

He scored two points on 1-of-5 shooting but had nine rebounds, two steals and a blocked shot.

Overall the Charlotte bench hammered the Spurs reserves, dominating them 34-10 in points and 23-9 in rebounds.

Other contributions from the bench: Bryce Drew, 15 points, five rebounds; Jamaal Magloire, nine points, four rebounds, two blocks; Augmon, eight points, five rebounds and a steal. The statistics for their extended stays on the court, averaging 20.5 minutes apiece, didn't reflect the defense, but it was there.

"That was the reason we won," Silas said. "We played very aggressive, especially in the second half."

The Spurs got 29 points and 21 rebounds from former Wake Forest star Tim Duncan, though only nine points in the second half. They shot 34.2 percent overall and scored 73, 25.2 below average. The Spurs' three-point shooting, fifth best in the league at 38.2 percent, dipped to 19.0 percent (4-of-21).

Notes

? The bomb threat at the Alamodome after the game was the second the Hornets have experienced this season. They had another at Philips Arena in Atlanta.

San Antonio police cleared the arena, leaving some Spurs players in the parking lot wearing their uniforms. An hour's search turned up nothing.

? The Hornets flew to Houston late Tuesday, then practiced Wednesday at the Compaq Center, where they'll face the Rockets on Friday night.

Baron Davis, slowed by a stomach virus in the Spurs game, participated in the workout.

"He's better but still not all the way back," Silas said.

? Magloire will do a live Internet chat on hornets.com at 4 p.m. today.

The only thing that threw a scare into the Hornets Tuesday was a postgame bomb scare. The San Antonio Spurs? Not on this night.

Turning a most unusual set of circumstances to their advantage, the Hornets overcame an early assault by Tim Duncan and the Spurs, then controlled the second half on the way to a 78-73 victory at the Alamodome.

Charlotte (21-23) was fighting the odds in this one, coming off a back-to-back set of weekend defeats and playing one of the league's Western Conference powers in a road game. The outlook didn't change that much even though the Spurs (29-14) announced just before the game that one of their twin towers, 7-1 David Robinson, would not be playing because of a right knee bruise.

The scenario got worse. Starting point guard Baron Davis, the Hornets' leading scorer with a 19.3 average, was fighting a stomach virus. And once the game began, the Spurs started getting points in bunches from 7-0 Tim Duncan and sprinted away early to a 12-point lead.

With Davis and fellow backcourt starter David Wesley misfiring repeatedly as they began what would be a night of misadventure -- they finished with a combined 6-for-29 and 14 points -- it appeared that Charlotte was headed for a third consecutive loss.

That was before the Hornets' defense rose up with an aggressive second-half performance, before Bryce Drew scored 15 to power a dominating bench effort and long before someone phoned in a bomb threat that prompted San Antonio police to start rushing everyone from the arena just minutes after the game's conclusion.

The bench production was huge. In addition to Drew, Jamaal Magloire scored nine and Stacey Augmon eight. George Lynch grabbed nine rebounds, one off Elden Campbell's team-high of 10. Overall, Charlotte's bench topped San Antonio's reserves in scoring (34-10) and rebounding (23-9).

Duncan closed with 29 points, only nine in the final two quarters, and 21 rebounds.

"It seems like every time we get our backs to the wall, we come up with a big win," forward P.J. Brown said. "We really needed this game and we got it. But we shouldn't rely on things like this to get us out of trouble."

Drew started providing some of his points late in the first quarter as the Hornets began their comeback from the 12-point deficit. Just after entering the game with about four minutes to play in the period he hit a baseline jumper, then followed with a three-pointer.

That helped Charlotte close in by the end of the quarter, when San Antonio's lead was down to five. And the momentum carried over into the second, producing an overall 19-6 run that put the Hornets into the lead shortly before halftime.

They led 65-63 at the break. At that point Duncan was riddling their defense, however, hitting 8-of-9 shots and scoring 20 with nine rebounds. They knew they couldn't afford to let that continue.

"They missed David (Robinson)," Brown said. "Duncan had to shoulder more of the load with him out. Our big key was the second half. Duncan had 20 in the first so we went to work even harder on him defensively (doubling him with two big men every time he touched the ball)."

The Hornets opened a seven-point lead in the third quarter when San Antonio went six minutes without a point. They had a scoring drought of their own that allowed the Spurs to slip back within two, then pushed out to a nine-point lead.

San Antonio scrambled in the final minutes to pull it out. When Duncan hit one of two free throws with 45.5 seconds left Charlotte's lead was a single point, 74-73.

But, with the Spurs forced to foul, the Hornets responded at the line to close it out.

Brown and Augmon hit two free throws apiece in the final seconds to seal it.

Hornets coach Paul Silas says he understands the likely reasons none of his players were selected as reserves for the Eastern Conference All-Star team. But he is unhappy that neither Baron Davis nor Elden Campbell were on the list when it was announced Tuesday.

"I think it might have made a difference if our record was a little better than it is," Silas said before the Hornets' game in San Antonio. "And, in Elden's case, name recognition may have had a lot to do with it."

Davis, Charlotte's starting point guard, is averaging 19.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and 8.8 assists. Campbell, a veteran center, is having the most consistent season of his 11-plus years. He is averaging 14.8 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.79 blocked shots.

The All-Star game will be Feb. 10 in Philadelphia. Starters were chosen by fans. League coaches picked reserves.

East guards selected were Jason Kidd of New Jersey, Ray Allen of Milwaukee and Paul Pierce of Boston. Kidd is the team's only true point guard. Silas said he was told that Davis "was the next guy on the list" and would be added to the team should one of the others be injured.

The East backup centers are Alonzo Mourning of Miami and Jermaine O'Neal of Indiana.

"I certainly thought Baron deserved it with his all-round play, not only his points but his assists and rebounds," Silas said. "And his flamboyance, which is something the league likes in young players right now.

"But he's only 22 and he has a lot of All-Star teams to make before he's through.

"Elden's omission was a disappointment to me. They put Alonzo on the team. I don't know how many games he has played, but Elden has played in them all. He's had a comparable season to (starter) Dikembe Mutombo.

"But here again you're going on name recognition with Alonzo and Mutombo. ... I think it was an injustice to Elden."

The Western Conference reserves are Dirk Nowitzki and Steve Nash of Dallas, Wally Szczerbiak of Minnesota, Chris Webber and Peja Stojakovic of Sacramento, Karl Malone of Utah and Gary Payton of Seattle.

Mourning, 31, missed the first 69 games of last season because a kidney condition that is in remission, though it forces him to take eight pills a day and limits his exercise.

Heat center Alonzo Mourning, suffering from the flu, was a late scratch from the starting lineup Monday night at Utah.

Mourning, who was feeling ill when the Heat flew out of Miami on Sunday, did not join the team for its Monday morning workout at the Delta Center. He stayed in his hotel room Monday night resting and taking medications.

Mourning is questionable for tonight's game at Denver.

``Right now, we just think it is the flu, but we will evaluate further [today] when we arrive in Denver,'' Heat coach Pat Riley said. ``Knowing Zo's past, we will monitor it carefully, but we also don't want to jump each time he has a hangnail. As far as we know, it is a common flu that had been going around his house. I think first the kids had it and then his wife.''

When Mourning, who is recovering from kidney disease, was ill earlier this season, it was originally thought to be food poisoning and later thought to be a virus. He missed two games -- Nov. 6 and 8 -- before returning to play three games. He then missed another three games.

When he returned Nov. 23 against Dallas, he struggled for several weeks to regain his strength, stamina and effectiveness. In the first five games back after his ailment, he failed to score more than 14 points in any game and had one game of eight points and one of four points.

Mourning has been playing well the past few weeks and is a long shot to be added to the Eastern Conference All-Star roster when reserves are announced today.

SHINN ON ZO

To hear Charlotte Hornets co-owner George Shinn tell it, Mourning wanted no part of the Hornets when he came to Miami in a 1995 trade.

In a recent interview with a New Orleans paper -- the city the Hornets are attempting to relocate to -- Shinn said, ``Alonzo didn't want to stay. He didn't want to stay in little Charlotte. He wanted a bigger market, he wanted to play for Pat Riley and he thought he could win a championship. So life goes on. He got his money and we got better, and unfortunately he had his [kidney] problems.''

Shinn's assertions are tantamount to a slap in the face to Mourning. Mourning has said he would likely have stayed in Charlotte had he been offered a contract with the salary he sought. His departure had more to do with money than a dislike for Charlotte, he said.

John Reid of the New Orleans Times-Picayune reports: The Hornets are expected to release their first totals on season-ticket and luxury-suites deposits Friday, but Alex Martins, who heads the Hornets' business operations in New Orleans, already is pleased.

"From our initial responses, we're getting strong business support for suite requests," Martins said Monday. "We're getting them every day, and I had three today."

This week the Hornets will begin to contact the more than 7,000 fans who made a pledge to buy season tickets. The Hornets also have contacted people who have existing club seats and suites at the New Orleans Arena.

"Most expansion team campaigns don't reach 7,600 ticket requests after the first initial burst," Martins said. "We're very comfortable with the responses, and we hope to convert them all to deposits."

As part of the agreement reached between the state and the Hornets, ticket-sale benchmarks such as 8,000 general-seating seats, 2,450 club seats and 54 luxury suites, priced from $75,000 to $140,000, must be sold before March 15 or the team can back out of the deal.

Charlotte (20-23) at San Antonio (29-13), 8:30 p.m., Alamodome; TV: WAXN, Ch. 64; Radio: WBT-AM (1110)
LEONARD LAYE
Staff Writer

At first glance the view was not particularly good for the Hornets. Look back and they could see two weekend losses. Look ahead and they find a tough three-game road trip staring them in the face.

So why was coach Paul Silas smiling after Monday's practice?

He was watching a rapidly improving Jamal Mashburn work out, and Silas liked what he saw.

"He's progressing very nicely," Silas said. "And if all continues to go well, it appears he'll be back practicing with the team pretty soon."

That could be as soon as Feb. 11, when the Hornets return to practice after the Feb. 8-10 break for the NBA All-Star Weekend. The team is putting no strict timetable on a return, leaving that to Mashburn.

"After he does start practicing, I think he'll be playing again within a week or two," Silas said. "He's in great shape so he won't have to spend time getting his conditioning down. He'll need to work his way back as far as basketball stamina is concerned. But he's a lot quicker now than he was before he went out."

Mashburn, Charlotte's starting small forward and leading scorer last season, suffered a lower abdominal strain in the final playoff game last spring. He didn't know what the injury was at the time and hoped rest would cure it.

Instead the pain bothered him all summer and was still hampering his play through training camp in the fall and the nine early-season games he played before going on the injured list.

Pursuing every option for recovery other than the least attractive one -- surgery -- Mashburn has been practicing on his own, working with therapist Alex McKechnie and personal trainer Ed Downs. It's been a gradual process of almost two months, but Mashburn has changed his workout routine to fit McKechnie's guidelines and is now working without pain.

Mashburn played in the first nine games and averaged 18.0 points. He was shooting 37.6 percent, well off his eight-year career average of 42.0.

He spent part of Monday's workout in light one-on-one play with forward Jerome Moiso, who is also on the injured list. Mashburn shot the ball well and appeared to move well.

He will continue to work with McKechnie, who arrived last weekend from Vancouver, British Columbia, for a week-long stay.

Mashburn's progress offered the Hornets more light at the end of the tunnel as they left Monday afternoon for San Antonio and an 8:30 p.m. game today against the Spurs. They will play Friday at Houston and Sundy at Memphis before returning for home games next week against Boston and Philadelphia.

The Hornets recently took another step toward having a healthy roster when they got forward George Lynch back. Lynch, a starter last season at Philadelphia who was part of the October trade that sent Derrick Coleman to the Sixers, had been unable to play or work out all season after having foot surgery.

He has gotten limited minutes in six games and is playing his way back into shape.

"George's legs have been slow to come around, which was to be expected because he had to go so long without any activity," Silas said. "It's going to take him a while longer but you can see signs that it's coming for him. His shot is getting better."

Reserve forward Robert "Tractor" Traylor, on the injured list with an ankle sprain, could be back by the weekend.

Starting lineups

Hornets Pos. Spurs
Baron Davis PG Tony Parker
David Wesley SG Antonio Daniels
Elden Campbell C David Robinson
P.J. Brown PF Tim Duncan
Lee Nailon SF Steve Smith

Scouting report

? The Spurs have lost two in a row at home and are 16-6 at the Alamodome.

? Hornets coach Paul Silas will use backup center Jamaal Magloire at power forward at times to try to counter Tim Duncan (25.3 points, 12.7 rebounds).

There was a duel at the point guard position Saturday night.
Baron Davis and Steve Francis put up monster numbers, but it was Francis' Rockets winning out in the end as the Rocks beat the Hornets 111-104 in overtime in Charlotte.

The win improves the Rockets record to 14-30, snapping a 4-game slide.

Francis put up 30 points, 8 boards and 8 assists. Davis meanwhile put down 34 points, dished out 11 assists and hit 6 triples... and also had one massive, highlight-reel-for-months dunk over Eddie Griffin late that had the Charlotte crowd in a frenzy. Nasty I must admit.... nasty.

The NBA is moving ahead to determine whether or not the Charlotte Hornets will be allowed to move to New Orleans, La. for next season.

League commissioner David Stern picked seven owners for a relocation committee that will study the move before presenting its findings to the NBA Board of Governors meeting in April.

The most prominent member of the committee is Phoenix Suns owner Jerry Colangelo. Colangelo, who also owns Major League Baseball?s Arizona Diamondbacks, is the chairman of the NBA Board of Governors.

Other relocation committee members are Los Angeles Lakers? owner Jerry Buss, Cleveland Cavaliers? owner Gordon Gund, San Antonio Spurs? owner Peter Holt, New Jersey Nets? owner Lewis Katz, Indiana Pacers? owner Herb Simon and Philadelphia 76ers? owner Ed Snider.

Colangelo didn?t let on any preference when talking to reporters in New York City on Friday.

"The city of Charlotte is yet to step up," Colangelo said. "We have to let the process play out."

However, Colangelo later said current Hornets? owners George Shinn and Ray Wooldridge have an inherent advantage.

"They?re (the NBA owners) not thrilled about them wanting to move," Colangelo said. "But there?s not anything they can really do about it."

All-Star Hornets?

On Tuesday, the NBA will announce reserves for the Feb. 10 All-Star Game in Philadelphia. League coaches will vote for those players and Hornets coach Paul Silas isn?t sure if his team will have a representative.

Center Elden Campbell is putting up some of the best numbers of his career, while point guard Baron Davis is clearly establishing himself among the league?s best players.

"I think it?s going to be very close with Elden and BD (Davis) probably has too many guys he?s competing with," Silas said. "I?m hopeful we?ll have somebody, but it?s going to be close."

With Toronto?s Vince Carter, Boston?s Antoine Walker, Washington?s Michael Jordan and Philadelphia?s Allen Iverson and Dikembe Mutombo announced as starters Saturday following voting by the fans, there are several other players who deserve consideration for the remaining seven spots.

Most figure New Jersey?s Jason Kidd, Milwaukee?s Ray Allen, Orlando?s Tracy McGrady, Boston?s Paul Pierce to be locks for four of those spots.

It means Campbell and Davis will likely be locked in competition for three spots with Detroit?s Jerry Stackhouse, Milwaukee?s Sam Cassell, Indiana?s Jermaine O?Neal and Miami?s Alonzo Mourning.

Magloire?s progress

Second-year center Jamaal Magloire?s improvement is starting to garner attention around the league.

Phoenix has already called to inquire about his potential trade availability and Indiana general manager Donnie Walsh recently raved about the 7-foot-1 center?s play.

"But I don?t see us doing anything with him," said Hornets coach Paul Silas.

Ever since drafting Magloire in June 2000 and seeing his development as a rookie last season, Silas has considered Magloire and Davis the foundation for future Hornets? success.

Magloire recording the first back-to-back scoring and rebounding double-doubles of his career Friday at Indiana and Saturday against Houston has done to diminish Silas? opinion.

"He?s really playing well," Silas said of Magloire. "He?s learning this league and where he fits. Compared to last year when I thought he did fine for a rookie, he?s really coming around."

Lynch update

George Lynch has hardly provided the boost many with the Hornets expected upon his return from toe surgery two weeks ago. But Silas remains confident in the player he acquired from Philadelphia last October.

"He?s just trying to get his legs back," Silas said of Lynch, who is averaging 1.7 points, 1.8 rebounds and 9.0 minutes per game in six games. "He?s just missed so much time. He?s working to get it back. He?s always working hard."

Gentry laments losing Hornets? franchise

Shelby?s Alvin Gentry certainly didn?t ever think he?d see a day when professional basketball left Charlotte.

But Gentry, a 1973 Shelby High graduate and current Los Angeles Clippers head coach, is hopeful the Hornets won?t leave for New Orleans.

"I can?t believe what?s happened here," said Gentry, whose Clippers have already played Charlotte twice this season. "I was here when they led the league in attendance and this was a real difficult ticket to come by.

"I hope something can happen so they will not lose this team, because this is a tremendous basketball area. I?d like to see it return to the days when they had 20,000 people here every night, because this team is very important to the area."

An unneccesary headache?

Most owners are thrilled when their franchises host the NBA All-Star Game.

Not Philadelphia?s Ed Snider.

"It?s a wonderful thing for the city, but it certainly isn?t anything we?re thrilled with as far as the fans are concerned," said Snider, whose most unhappy his franchise receives only 3,000 tickets for staffers, VIPs and season ticket-holders.

"I wouldn?t do it again. We don?t make money, but that?s not the reason. Certainly it?s not worth the public relations nightmare. Our fans are the people that support us, and they?re the ones we?re concerned about."

Supporting Winters

Charlotte?s Antawn Jamison is a big fan of interim Golden State coach Brian Winters.

"It all goes to Brian," Jamison said. "He?s doing a tremendous job of getting me in my comfort zone. He?s calming me down, challenging me on the defensive end. I know what he?s trying to do. I don?t feel like I have to rush to get my shots. He?s doing a great job of getting me to my sweet spots."

Ray Wooldridge is being called a lot of things by a lot of angry people these days, and a lot of the stuff can't be printed in a family newspaper.

But perhaps it's time to add another name to the list: Houdini.

It wasn't long ago that Wooldridge found himself on the spot in the Charlotte Hornets' efforts to secure a new arena, with his future as a co-owner of the team literally hanging in the balance.

He had concluded that there was no way of landing a suitable arena deal and/or making the franchise profitable again in Charlotte as long as he and George Shinn owned the team.

Yet his mission was not just to come up with a deal elsewhere - it was to land a deal so lucrative that Shinn would want to stay aboard and the NBA would approve the move.

Anything less than a blockbuster deal would have tempted Shinn to sell his 65 percent to Charlotte businessmen looking to keep the Hornets here. That would have left Wooldridge holding the bag with his 35 percent, because he would be outvoted on any major decision and frozen out socially by people who have made it abundantly clear they have no respect for him.

In other words, it was time to produce or else get squeezed out one way or another.

And he produced.

Say what you will about the long-term viability of New Orleans as an NBA city, but this deal saves Wooldridge no matter how things play out from here.

The lease he worked out with Louisiana politicians ensures that the franchise will be profitable for as long as they keep mixing hurricanes on Bourbon Street. There are guarantees on concessions. There are guarantees on parking. There are guarantees if luxury boxes go unsold, and guarantees if the stands are half-empty.

It's so enticing, in fact, that Shinn is not just ready to move, he's itching to get a fresh start in the business.

And even if Shinn suddenly does an about-face and gets the urge to sell now, or even if the NBA steps in and tries to force a sale, the fact that Wooldridge has a lucrative deal in New Orleans will drive the selling price through the roof. Forbes recently listed the value's worth at $139 million, but it's clear now that any bidding would have to start at at least $250 million.

But Wooldridge has paid a hefty price to save his skin.

He sold his soul along the way, and he has no integrity left. That became clear during a press conference in New Orleans recently when he acknowledged he had been dealing with New Orleans officials for the past two years.

It was Wooldridge who had steadfastly maintained throughout negotiations with Charlotte city council that he had no intention of moving the team and he had not negotiated in any way, shape or form with any other cities - when in fact he was negotiating with several cities.

Those who wondered at the time if Wooldridge was purposely sabotaging talks with Charlotte politicians so that he could justify moving the team were apparently onto something all along.

That will haunt Wooldridge the rest of his life. He hasn't just burned bridges in Charlotte, he has thrown nuclear waste on them. Even if he's the toast of the town in New Orleans, the people there will always know in the back of their minds that he wouldn't hesitate to lie to them or sell them out, too. And even if NBA owners approve the move, they'll know never to turn their backs on him.

Beyond that, he'll be the one with the blood of the Hornets' loyal front-office staff on his hands. Indications are that at least half of the advertising, community relations, publicity, ticket staffs and the like will be out of jobs, and it will all be because their boss never bargained in good faith from the start.

The interesting part is, Wooldridge came to Charlotte with the opportunity to be a hero. Hornets fans were begging for someone to ride in on a white horse and give them a reason to get excited about the Hornets again when Wooldridge arrived on the scene. He could have played the good-cop, bad-cop thing with Shinn to the hilt.

Instead, he quickly came off as a used-car salesman who couldn't be trusted. He looked sleazy, and he acted sleazy. That's what voters were thinking when they soundly defeated the arena referendum last summer.

The bizarre thing is that Wooldridge never really wanted any of this. He was a middle-aged, divorced millionaire who wanted to sit at midcourt in the Staples Center and tell his date that he owned the team the Lakers were playing. That's all he wanted. But he was thrust into the role of front man on the arena issue because Shinn was so despised - and two years later, he might be more despised than Shinn.

So he is Houdini today.

But at the same time, he has tied himself up in chains that he'll never be able to break loose from again.