First, the Orlando Magic were bumped by the telegenic magic of Michael Jordan. Then they were bumped off by the Indiana Pacers 89-82 on Wednesday night.

The Magic-Pacers game was originally scheduled to be seen nationally on TNT, but Ted Turner's folks yanked it to show Michael Jordan's Washington Wizards ? the league's hottest team ? whose nine-game winning streak was snapped by the Charlotte Hornets.

It was just as well that the Magic were preempted.

They did nothing to further the quality of basketball-watching, folding meekly down the stretch. ?It was an ugly game to watch because it was slow on both ends,? Coach Doc Rivers said.

Orlando's rebounders did most of the watching. They were blistered on the boards, and no play shouted out their primary weakness louder than with 3:10 remaining.

Pacers forward Al Harrington knifed between three Magic players who resembled cardboard cutouts and slammed in a missed shot for an 80-78 Indiana lead.

The Magic only verified why they have given up more offensive rebounds than any team in the NBA.

The Pacers outrebounded the Magic 51-35 and collected a telltale 10 more offensive rebounds. That's 10 more shots at the basket.

Rivers was embarrassed by his team's lack of ?fundamental? rebounding techniques ? such as basic boxing out. What galled him more was its lack of toughness.

?It doesn't make me very happy. I thought they were tougher down the stretch than us,? he said. ?You can't be a good team if you're not tough-minded.?

The Magic fell to 13-17, but had a chance to steal this one.

After Harrington hit a jumper to give Indiana a three-point lead, the Magic worked for a shot. But Pat Garrity unraveled his third-quarter handiwork by getting his pass picked off by Reggie Miller, who converted a layup for an 85-80 lead to send the fans to the exits with 45 seconds left.

The lone positive was that Tracy McGrady ? returning to the lineup after sitting out three games with a strained back ? is healthy. McGrady scored a game-high 31 points on 11 of 19 shooting, but didn't get much help from guard Mike Miller.

Reggie Miller scored 16 points and had sidekicks everywhere, from Harrington's 23 points off the bench to forward Jermaine O'Neal's 20 points and 13 rebounds to center Jeff Foster's nine rebounds and eight points.

The Pacers looked like the team with a promising future. Harrington is 21, O'Neal is 23 and Foster 24. Rookie guard Jamaal Tinsley is 23.

Mike Miller, the Magic's 21-year-old hopeful, has to fill the chasm left by Grant Hill's departure. But he missed 12 of 15 shots and hit just one of six 3-pointers. ?We needed one more guy to step up,? Rivers said.

If Miller doesn't take his next step as a pro, those 100-point nights for the Magic will be a rarity. Orlando lost its distinction as the NBA's highest scoring team after scoring 75, 80 and 82 points in the last three games.

The Magic are whistling in the dark, hoping T-Mac's back holds up. Guard Darrell Armstrong's body is so battered that the Magic are searching for free-agent guards

X-rays were not needed to check McGrady's condition. He levitated over the 6-foot-11 Jonathan Bender in the first half, throwing down a dunk that would have drawn a nod from chiropractors everywhere.

McGrady scored 14 of the Magic's 24 second-quarter points. He had 20 at halftime, but Rivers rested him for most of the third, saving his back for a fourth-quarter run. But Orlando's rebounding woes undermined Tracy's return and paint a dour big picture for the rest of the season.

?There's no reason to panic, but we're not playing well,? Rivers said. ?I'm not going to sugarcoat it.?