Toronto coach Jay Triano appears warmer on Jose Calderon, pictured, than Jarret Jack. (Ray Amati/NBAE/Getty Images)The Toronto Raptors spent two days breaking down tape and working on addressing their defensive shortcomings ahead of their home return Wednesday against the Atlanta Hawks.
The Raptors lost all four games on their Western trip, dropping their road record to 10-23.
As a result, Toronto could conceivably fall into a virtual tie with the Chicago Bulls for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference by the end of Wednesday.
Toronto (32-33) will have to find an answer at the Air Canada Centre for an Atlanta team they have lost six of the last seven against, including the last four.
"It's a team that's given us problems in the past because of their athleticism, but we're not so much worried about Atlanta as we are about ourselves right now," coach Jay Triano said after Tuesday's practice. "We have to get better and make strides.
"We've had a couple of good days where we've really got down to work on a couple things and hopefully it translates to success in the game."
The effort was there from the Raptors against the Los Angeles Lakers and Portland, the trip bookends, but somnambulant third quarters against Sacramento and Golden State in part led star Chris Bosh to publicly exhort his teammates for a better effort.
Toronto was again soft on defence, both in transition and on the boards, allowing their opponents too many second-chance points.
The subplot on the offensive side of the game during the trip regarded guard Jarret Jack, who spent much time in the second half of games on the bench.
Triano said he thought the team had better offensive flow against Portland on Sunday night with Jose Calderon at the helm.
The 109-98 loss to the Blazers left Toronto below .500 for the first time since Jan. 20.
Bosh looked stronger than ever since returning five games ago from a seven-game absence. He scored 28 points and added seven rebounds.
Hedo Turkoglu hit four three-pointers en route to 14 points, with power forward Amir Johnson chipping in 13. Calderon scored 11 while dishing out seven assists.
Atlanta (43-23) got to beat up on the lowly New Jersey Nets on Tuesday, prevailing for a 108-84 road result. Jamal Crawford poured in 25 points off the bench to lead the Hawks in the 1,000th career game for teammate Joe Smith.
"It's a luxury we have on this team," Atlanta centre Al Horford said of Crawford's presence. "We really don't take him for granted. He can come in and change games for us."
All-star guard Joe Johnson was not in the lineup due to an Achilles heel injury, and he is unlikely to play against Toronto.
Rookie Jeff Teague started in place for Johnson against the Nets.
Johnson was one of six Hawks to hit double digits in Atlanta's last visit to town, a 111-89 victory on Dec. 11. That victory came just days after nine Atlanta players scored at least 10 points each en route to a whopping 146-111 home win against the Raptors.
At the other end, the Hawks limited Bosh to a total of 16 points overall, including just two in the game at Phillips Arena in Atlanta.
As early as the first quarter on Wednesday, Bosh will hit the 10,000-point milestone. He needs just three points.
The Raptors play on consecutive nights beginning Friday. They host Oklahoma City and then depart for a game Saturday in New Jersey.
With files from The Associated Press
