Can it get worse?

It was a tough day for rookie center Steven Hunter ? in more ways than one. Hunter was placed on the injured list Saturday to make room for rookie guard Jeryl Sasser.

Then he got doused with beer after the game as he left the court with his teammates. It happened when the team was going under the stands and into the locker room.

?Why did they hit me? I wasn't even in uniform,? said Hunter.

?I've had better days. I thought about going into the stands, but I don't think the [publicity] you get from something like that is very good.?

T-Mac getting better

McGrady will return to Orlando today, and he should be ready to play when the Magic return to action Wednesday night against Indiana, according to Mick Smith, the team's strength and conditioning coach who spent the past few days in Atlanta with McGrady.

McGrady missed his third consecutive game because of a strained lower back, a problem he also had during the exhibition season. McGrady had been going through twice-a-day sessions with Rich Nyberg, a physical therapist and back specialist in Atlanta.

A lot of McGrady's therapy has involved strengthening his abdominal muscles, and stretching and lengthening other muscles.

"He's much better. His flexibility is better now than it was before he got hurt," Smith said. "His problem was a muscular one. The program he's been doing is one that he'll have to continue with, even when he returns."

It's all about the calls

Mavs owner Mark Cuban, who enjoys being a thorn in the side of those who run the NBA, had one of his personal monitors at the game to grade the officials. Cuban has hired a team of former players, coaches and officials to grade the refs each night, keeping a close eye on who makes what call. He said his findings will help his team get a better handle on how to play each night, depending upon who is officiating.

Cuban has grown increasingly critical of NBA officiating, believing there is far too much inconsistency on how games are called. Officials are being allowed to have different interpretations on what calls should be made.

"The league thinks they have to interpret the rules, and each referee uses his/her judgment," Cuban said. "Every referee is going to interpret differently, and the younger the referee, the more difficult it is, and as a result, there is no consistency in how the games are called."

Standing pat

Rivers said he doesn't expect the Magic to make any major roster moves now that Grant Hill is out for the season. He said he expects any changes to be smaller ones.

"We've talked about a few things, but I don't expect anything to happen," he said. "We're not in a panic mode. The worst thing we could do is panic because of short-term misery. You still have to think long term."