CHARLOTTE — After Marcus Camby’s dud return Tuesday night when his right knee swelled up again, there was fear it would take a while before the 6-11 dynamo would regain pre-injury form.

But soon after Camby bounded off the bench with 1:46 left in the first quarter last night in Charlotte, fears were smashed. Camby was again a dynamo force off the bench – leaping around Charlotte’s teal and purple court as if he’d never been gone.

When he left the floor late in the second quarter after 12 impact minutes, Jeff Van Gundy whispered a rare “Good job” to Camby as he passed by.

“I had great rhythm tonight,” said Camby, who scored 15 points on 6 of 9 shooting, grabbed eight rebounds and blocked two shots in 25 minutes. “I was more into the flow of the game today. I was getting up and down the court, guys were looking for me. The other day, I was a little tentative. I didn’t take any shots. I just tried to make things happen knowing how crucial and important this game was. I was just trying to do the things I did before I got hurt.”

Before the 118-99 win, Camby admitted it may take time to get his timing and explosiveness back. Last night’s game was his second since returning from nearly a five-week absence from a strained ACL.

Camby complained of swelling in his knee following the Houston game and knows he’ll have to play through it the rest of the season. And all was not well after the game. Camby said he did ask out in the second half when his knee began to hurt slightly.

“The knee felt looser today in the first half,” Camby said. “In the second half I asked to come out down the stretch. It was bothering me a little bit.”

Before the game, Camby gave this warning: “It’s going to take some time. It’s not going to happen overnight. I still have swelling in my knee.”

Charlotte dropped to sixth place, making them Knicks’ first-round opponent if season ended today.

Knicks finished 3-1 vs. Hornets …This marked worst home loss for Hornets since 1998.