Head coach Doc Rivers has had plenty to worry about lately, especially after his Orlando Magic lost eight of their past 10 games entering Friday night's game against the Detroit Pistons.

But Rivers has taken time out to check in daily with injured forward Grant Hill.

Understandably, Rivers said, Hill is downtrodden about needing a second season-ending surgery on his nagging left ankle. Hill had surgery on Dec. 19 to remove bone spurs and reinforce the fracture on the inside of the ankle that already has been operated on twice.

His spirits aren't great right now," Rivers said. He is happy he's going to be healthy. But it is a daunting task to think about what he's going to be facing again as far as rehabilitation."

Hill has played just 18 games in two seasons with the Magic -- four last year and 14 this year. Rivers said he often has wondered why Hill -- one of the NBA's most well-respected players on and off the floor -- has been so unlucky when it comes to injuries.

You wish it would have happened to someone else. You wish it would have happened to one of the bad guys," Rivers said. I think about that every night. Especially when I'm watching one of those guys going up and down the court. I think, 'Why the hell is he healthy?' Grant is a great guy. He does everything the right way. And he's the one who gets injured two years in a row?"

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Rivers is under doctor's orders to limit Tracy McGrady's minutes while he continues to nurse a lower back strain. Doctors want McGrady, who missed three games last week, to play no more than 35 minutes a game for the next few weeks and they would like for that number to stay at 30 when the Magic play on back-to-back nights.

Rivers played McGrady 36 minutes and he responded with 31 points on 11 of 19 shooting. Rivers wants to rest McGrady in the first half of games, but he scored 20 points in the first two quarters Wednesday and was hesitant to pull him out of the game.

McGrady started slowly Friday night, rested for a 9-minute stretch and played only 12 minutes in the first two quarters.

I'd say the back is probably 95 percent, but there is still some pain," McGrady said. As long as I can tolerate it, nothing is going to keep me off the floor. I'll probably be out of this game when I'm 30, so I'm not worrying about long-term effects. Surgery is not needed now, so it's not like it's going to get worse. It feels pretty good now so I'm not worried about it."

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Despite his dire status for a second consecutive year, Hill could be voted a starter on the Eastern Conference All-Star team again this season. Hill is second in the voting at the forward position with 215,073 votes. Boston's Antoine Walker is a distant fourth with 177,965 votes. Hill was voted a starter last season but was unable to play in the game because of his ankle injury.

The return of Michael Jordan has bumped McGrady down to third in the voting for the Eastern Conference guard slots. Philadelphia's Allen Iverson leads all guards with 370,118 votes, while Jordan has garnered 360,174 votes. McGrady, who made his first All-Star start last season at age 21, has 204,974 votes.

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In hopes of ending its six-game losing streak, Detroit shook up its starting lineup Friday night. The Pistons inserted Orlando native and former Magic point guard Chucky Atkins in place of Dana Barros. Atkins was making his seventh start of the season.

Atkins emerged as one of the NBA's best rookies in his one season (1999-2000) with the Magic, averaging 9.5 points a game off the bench. He went to Detroit the following summer as part of the sign-and-trade deal involving Hill.

He has a disappointing season last year, but has been effective so far off the bench for the Pistons. He is averaging 11.3 points a game and is one of just two NBA guards shooting at least 50 percent from the floor. Minnesota's Wally Szczerbiak (51.5 percent) is the other.

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Orlando entered Friday night's game 13-0 when it has more assists than the opposition. Conversely, it was 0-17 when foes have more assists than the Magic. . . . Orlando came into Friday night 0-12 when trailing at the half and 2-13 when trailing after three quarters. . . . Orlando, which has led the league in scoring most of the season, has fallen to fifth after putting up 75, 80 and 82 points in the past three games.