Jose Calderon was in charge for the Toronto Raptors on Friday. (Rocky Widner/Getty Images)

The Raptors' Jose Calderon was back in a big way in his last game, and now Toronto will try try to put together a run with its playmaking guard in tow, beginning Sunday at home against Sacramento.

Toronto begins the day 17-28, four games behind Milwaukee for the last Eastern Conference playoff spot with four other teams in between.

But the Raptors were energized in beating one of those teams, Chicago, to end a seven-game losing streak on Friday.

Calderon returned from the sidelines and a pesky hamstring injury with 23 points and 10 assists in the 114-94 road victory.

Coach Jay Triano was still gushing about the Spanish setup man on Saturday.

"We've had the same plays for the last 10 games, but no one could make the plays he does," Triano told the Toronto Star. "He had options, but he could see three different things.

"We didn't have that before."

Andrea Bargnani, meanwhile, went over 20 points for the eighth time in the last 11 games. More importantly, he had one of his better shooting efforts with an 8-for-13 ledger en route to 22 points.

'We came up short once again'

Toronto won only two games in their six-game Western road trip in December, but one of the victories was over the Kings.

That game may soon become known as the high water mark of Jermaine O'Neal's brief tenure with the Raptors. O'Neal, the subject of trade rumours, poured in 36 points with nine rebounds in the 107-101 win in Sacramento.

O'Neal scored a dozen more points in that Boxing Day contest than in any of the other 30 games he has played for Toronto since being acquired in the summer.

Centre Brad Miller and small forward John Salmons led the Kings that night with 20 points each.

Sacramento (10-34) has a quick turnaround after a Saturday loss in Milwaukee, its fourth consecutive defeat. Miller's last-second shot hit the back of the rim in the 106-104 result.

=The Kings have lost 16 of 20 since Kenny Natt was named interim coach on Dec. 15, and fell to 0-17 against Eastern Conference teams.

“We came up short once again,” said Natt. “I told the guys what I was most proud of was the effort and intensity they came out with tonight.”

Shooting guard Kevin Martin had 20 points to lead the offence, with Jason Thompson contributing 16 points and nine rebounds.

In a curious move, team and league officials haven't budged from a tip-off time Sunday of shortly after 6 p.m. ET. While the time itself isn't unusual, it pits the Raptors head to head on national television with the NHL all-star game in Montreal.

Toronto next plays on Wednesday, in New Jersey against the Nets.

With files from the Associated Press