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.
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The Spurs' play at the Alamodome has fast become a disaster of its own, forcing the team to drag a three-game home losing streak into tonight's meeting with the Los Angeles Clippers.
The current swoon is the Spurs' longest at home since they dropped four straight at the end of the 1996-97 season, a season in which David Robinson played in only six games. In no other season during Robinson's 13-year tenure have the Spurs lost more than three consecutive games at home.
Having fallen to 16-7 at the Alamodome this season, the Spurs are only one home loss shy of what they suffered all of last year when they went an NBA-best 33-8. Never have they finished with an overall winning record while losing more than 12 home games.
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Jan 30, 2002 10:32 AM EST
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.
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Spurs Jan 2002 Archive
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| Jan 30, 2002
Peter Vescey admits that he's, "no budget director or restoration expert," but talks about the Tim Duncan situation at the end of the 2002/03 season.
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| Jan 29, 2002
Charlotte (20-23) at San Antonio (29-13), 8:30 p.
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| Jan 28, 2002
Tim Duncan overcame a terrible start, Tony Parker returned from his sprained ankle and started zipping by the Lakers, and the Spurs suddenly found themselves needing only a 3-pointer to tie with six seconds left.
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| Jan 28, 2002
On Saturday night, Robinson totaled 12 points, six rebounds and seven blocks, numbers that probably won't be good enough to get him named to the All-Star team, but more than enough to help the Spurs beat Golden State 90-82 in front of 18,328 at the Arena in Oakland.
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| Jan 26, 2002
The Jazz have been very up and down lately.
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| Jan 25, 2002
The Spurs can only hope that holds true.
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| Jan 24, 2002
It took a desperation shot to get Steve Smith going Wednesday night, but before long, the Jazz were desperate to figure out how to stop him.
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| Jan 24, 2002
If John Amaechi showed the same agility, athleticism and motivation on the court that he showed leaving the Jazz locker room Wednesday night, he'd be an All-Star.
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| Jan 24, 2002
Sunrise, sunset.
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| Jan 24, 2002
After giving them two tough games in a week's time, the Jazz are confident they can spar with the San Antonio Spurs.
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| Jan 24, 2002
As the waning minutes of Tuesday's game against New Jersey ticked away, Steve Smith waited patiently on the bench for Spurs coach Gregg Popovich to call his name.
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| Jan 24, 2002
The deafening thud heard in the vicinity of South Temple and 300 West on Wednesday night was the beginning of the second half of the Utah Jazz season.
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| Jan 24, 2002
Somehow, Utah still had a chance.
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| Jan 24, 2002
Smith made all five of his 3-pointers and scored 29 points — on only 10 shots — as the Spurs ended their two-game losing streak by beating Utah for the eighth straight time, 98-92 in front of 19,623 at the Delta Center.
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| Jan 23, 2002
Midway through the Jazz's 2001-2002 season, so much is so down for the Jazz.
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| Jan 23, 2002
As far as improvement goes, the Spurs had a lot to be happy about Tuesday night.
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| Jan 23, 2002
The Jazz might have a hard time believing it, but San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich thinks his team lacks toughness.
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| Jan 22, 2002
For the Spurs, the loss was one of their most embarrassing.
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| Jan 21, 2002
A day after he failed to play a single minute in the fourth quarter for the third time in the past five games, Robinson said he knows only one way to regain his lost playing time.
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| Jan 20, 2002
San Antonio, we have a problem.
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| Jan 20, 2002
The humiliation that started in the Alamodome during last season's playoffs continued Saturday at the Alamodome.
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| Jan 20, 2002
With Robinson benched again in the fourth quarter — and Shaquille O'Neal also not around — the Spurs again collapsed at the feet of the Los Angeles Lakers, losing 98-81 Saturday afternoon in front of a regional NBC audience and 33,544 disheartened fans at the Alamodome.
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| Jan 18, 2002
In a departure from seasons past, the Jazz went into this season with only two pure point guards.
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| Jan 18, 2002
Perhaps it was the picture of John Stockton with a cotton-wad up his nose, blocking the blood.
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| Jan 18, 2002
Duncan scored 10 of his 35 points in the final quarter as the Spurs overtook the Jazz to beat their longtime rivals for the seventh straight time.
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| Jan 18, 2002
The game was all but over and Karl Malone didn't want to hear it.
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| Jan 18, 2002
No disrespect intended, but the Jazz would just as soon forget the Alamodome.
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| Jan 17, 2002
While Robinson's minutes (28.
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| Jan 16, 2002
Jennifer Bellis of the San Antonio Express News reports that the San Antonio Spurs are trying to get a WNBA franchise, even though no plans for WNBA expansion have been announced.
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| Jan 16, 2002
Tony Parker sprained his right ankle playing against the New Jersey Nets, reports Johnny Ludden of the San Antonio Express News.
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| Jan 16, 2002
Smith — who threw up Monday night when told he was going to start the second half against New Jersey — showed his poise Tuesday.
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| Jan 15, 2002
The year was 1979 and the Spurs were just 3 years old — at least in NBA years.
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| Jan 15, 2002
With one game-altering sweep of his hand, Todd MacCulloch — of the Winnipeg, Manitoba, MacCullochs — stuffed Steve Smith at the rim and instantly ignited a fast break that ended with Kerry Kittles' dunk with six seconds left.
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| Jan 14, 2002
No one knows what Jason Kidd will do when his contract is up after next season, just as no one is sure what Duncan will do in that same summer.
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| Jan 14, 2002
But someone still wanted a better explanation.
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| Jan 14, 2002
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.
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| Jan 11, 2002
The Lone Star Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society crowned its champion Thursday night.
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| Jan 11, 2002
"When you have a guy who can guard everyone from a (point guard) to a (small forward) — and guard them real well — and you lose that guy .
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| Jan 11, 2002
The 76ers own a mere .
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| Jan 10, 2002
Neither rain, nor darkness, nor gloom of matchup, nor Paul Pierce foul trouble could keep the Celtics from the completion of their appointed rounds against the Spurs last night.
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| Jan 10, 2002
Johnny Ludden of the San Antonio Express reports that Bruce Bowen broke his right middle finger in last night's game against Boston.
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| Jan 10, 2002
When the lights finally warmed up, however, so did Steve Smith and Paul Pierce.
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| Jan 9, 2002
The Spurs' trek through the Northeast should also gauge their own ability to wiggle out of troublesome situations.
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| Jan 8, 2002
Using a season-high seven blocks from Robinson as well as some solid perimeter defense from Bruce Bowen and Tony Parker, the Spurs beat New York 90-79 Monday night in front of 18,428 at the Alamodome.
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| Jan 7, 2002
Since knocking down a 3-pointer in the fourth quarter against Denver on Dec.
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| Jan 6, 2002
Two weeks ago, the shot fell.
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| Jan 6, 2002
With the Spurs in danger of dropping what Tim Duncan called "our biggest game of the year" — with Duncan himself watching from the bench — Porter used one behind-the-back dribble, one head butt and two free throws to beat the Mavericks 105-103 at American Airlines Center.
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| Jan 5, 2002
The Mavericks have a can't-fail plan for slowing down San Antonio's potent and powerful Tim Duncan on Saturday.
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| Jan 5, 2002
After Friday, the Spurs probably want their money back for a lot of reasons.
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| Jan 4, 2002
In his first two months with the Spurs, Smith has made 56.
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| Jan 3, 2002
"People say that, and I feel like a football player," Bowen said.
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| Jan 3, 2002
Smith may have had to flex his vocal cords as much as he did his feet, but no one can argue with the results.
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| Jan 2, 2002
The record obviously looks good," said Popovich, whose team is 14-1 against sub-.
