It felt as if the wheels came off Monday night.

Grant Hill limped off the court, dragging his surgically repaired left ankle, and the Magic limped into the locker room again after failing to deliver the energy they promised, falling 105-100 to the Detroit Pistons at TD Waterhouse Centre.

Maybe all those lofty preseason predictions were just fool's gold. Maybe the Magic don't have what it takes to be contenders in the Eastern Conference. At least that's what it looks like now.

"Just because you've got great names on the backs of the jerseys doesn't mean you're going to win games," said Magic Coach Doc Rivers. "I've got to find the right buttons to push."

It was the second consecutive home loss for the Magic (7-8), whose frustrations are beginning to build.

Hill, who missed his first game of the season Saturday, started limping early in the third, and he looked worse as the game progressed. He left for good with 6 minutes, 51 seconds remaining.