The reeling Miami Heat got some good news about Shaquille O'Neal yesterday.

Coach Pat Riley said O'Neal is still in Los Angeles receiving treatment for a hip injury that has kept him out for six games, but the team is encouraged by his progress and "hope he'll be back by next week."

O'Neal had a magnetic resonance imaging Monday, and Riley said it revealed only "soft tissue ? the inflammation and stuff. The initial reports on the test and things like that have been positive."

O'Neal suffered a bruised left hip Dec. 22 against Utah while diving for a loose ball and crashing into the scorer's table. The injury flared up Dec. 26 against Philadelphia.