Without Tracy McGrady, the Orlando Magic had virtually no chance of beating the Mavericks when they played last month in Dallas.

Without Michael Finley, the Mavericks still have a very good chance of winning tonight in Orlando.
That's what a second, high-powered weapon can do for a team. And that's the biggest difference between the Mavs and the Magic -- the difference between the West and East -- and the distance between a contender and a team struggling to play at a .500 pace.

They meet at 7:30 tonight at TD Waterhouse Centre.

"Even without Finley, they still will be a very tough test for us," Magic Coach Doc Rivers said.

"They've just got a lot of other weapons they can turn to."

While the Magic managed just 80 points in a lopsided loss in Dallas -- McGrady was out because of a back strain -- the Mavs should have no trouble finding enough points without Finley, who will sit out because of a left hamstring strain.

The Mavs still have forward Dirk Nowitzki, a budding all-star, point guard Steve Nash, and forward Juwan Howard, a proven scorer, to carry the load.

The Magic (19-20) are coming off discouraging, back-to-back losses at home to the Portland Trail Blazers and New Jersey Nets, again showing signs that winning just half their games will be the most they can hope for this season.

"We're still on the cusp of turning into a solid team, but every time we get close, we take a step backward," Rivers said.

"That's why when we were winning [a four-game streak from Jan. 4-9], I was hesitant to say we had turned the corner."

McGrady, who has been slowed by a groin strain, did not play well in either of the losses, and there was no one around to pick up the slack.

He made just six of 17 shots for 17 points against Portland. And he made just six of 20 shots for 17 points in the loss to the Nets.

Although he said after the Blazers loss Friday that he might need to miss a couple of games so the injury could heal, he changed his tune after Saturday's loss to the Nets, saying he felt better physically.

The Mavs (25-11) are just two games behind Minnesota for the lead in the Midwest Division.

Even with Finley on the injured list, they expect this East Coast swing to be a productive one. They thumped the Pacers in Indianapolis on Saturday 111-102 to start the trip.

It was their third consecutive victory.

Nowitzki, their leading scorer (23.4 points per game), had 31 points and 11 rebounds against the Pacers, and he will present real problems for the Magic.

He'll be too big (7 feet) for power forward Pat Garrity and too mobile for center Horace Grant (6-10).

Nash also has been giving everyone problems this season, serving as the Mavs' spark.

It's another tough assignment for Magic point guard Darrell Armstrong.

"We've got to try and turn this back around at home," McGrady said.

"There's no reason to panic. I still believe we can be a good team. But we have to restart it now, not down the road."