Perkins Holds Off Hornets : Lakers: His shot as time expires gives L.A. a 95-93 victory. Charlotte had rallied from a 16-point deficit.

This was supposed to be a turkey shoot, but the turkeys are shooting back.

The Lakers, who had to rally late to beat the Orlando Magic on Sunday, blew a 16-point lead Wednesday night and needed Sam Perkins’ 10-foot fadeaway at the buzzer to beat another expansion team, the Charlotte Hornets, 95-93, in the Forum.

Perhaps they’re confusing themselves with the old Lakers?

“There’s only three old Lakers here,” James Worthy said. “Shouldn’t be.

“It’s a disappointing win. It’s not the margin. We can all deal with a one-point win if we played 48 minutes. We played about 35 minutes tonight. Getting outrebounded by a smaller team like that, giving them layups. We’ve all really got to focus.

“If they had gotten to overtime with the momentum they had--we just can’t allow ourselves to get set up like that.”

Not only are the Hornets young, they were supposed to be tired.

After going overtime in Seattle on Tuesday night, they were behind by 16 points in the earlyminutes of the second quarter, but they ground the Lakers down, even if it took all night.

With 23 seconds left, rookie Larry Johnson beat A.C. Green on a drive from the right wing and scored on a layup, tying the score, 93-93.

The Lakers ran a last play. Sedale Threatt missed a 19-footer, but the rebound came off long to Perkins with about two seconds left. Perkins dribbled once and made the game-winner.

“I was just trying to get it off before the clock (ran out),” Perkins said. “I knew there was only about a second left, but I didn’t want to just throw anything up. I wanted something that had a chance to go in.”

For the Hornets, the timing could have been a little better.

They arrived in town early Wednesday morning, by charter, after an improbable 117-116 overtime victory at Seattle on Johnson’s 10-foot shot that bounced off the rim and dropped at the buzzer. After that, Coach Allan Bristow and everyone on the bench ran onto the floor.

“You get a little carried away sometimes,” Bristow said before Wednesday’s game. “We’re a young team. We don’t win many road games.

“Plus the way it happened. They (SuperSonics) were on the foul line with two seconds left and a one-point lead. . . . Shawn Kemp misses both free throws. This all takes about 15 minutes because the referees are putting time back on the clock, a tenth of a second here, a tenth of a second there.”

And the prospect of being emotionally drained?

“I would think absolutely not,” Bristow said. “I may be surprised and shocked, but if anything, it’s better than coming in after a tough loss.”

The Lakers ran off an early 12-0 streak and grabbed a 15-point lead by the second quarter.

The Hornets needed 8:03 before they hit double figures.

They shot 29% in the first quarter.

Johnson went to the bench after 6:55, without having taken a rebound or attempted a shot.

The Laker romp was brief, however. The Hornets scored on 12 possessions in a row in the second quarter, and what had been a 16-point lead was 55-48 at the half, 71-66 after three quarters.

“Any win is a good win, but I’m disappointed with the way we performed tonight,” Coach Mike Dunleavy said after another long talk with his players.

Thus did the Laker winning streak reach three games, without smiles.

Laker Notes

The Lakers reported that Vlade Divac has been cleared to start the second phase of his rehabilitation from back surgery, including light running and jumping. Divac is said to be on schedule for a return after the Feb. 9 All-Star game, but said a Laker official: “He still looks a long way off to me.” . . . Newly posted in the Laker dressing room, the following quote from Houston Coach Don Chaney: “Without the quality and charisma of Magic Johnson, the Lakers are just another good basketball team. . . . They are a team that can be beaten. The only glamour they have is the Laker girls.”