Coach Jay Triano scheduled a 6 p.m. practice for his team after it gathered again following a brief Christmas respite. The Raptors played in Los Angeles Dec. 22 and a few took an overnight charter back to Toronto for a 2 1/2 days of rest while others scattered to their various homes after beating the Clippers.

But with a series of three games in four nights starting tonight here against the Kings, a chance to practice was too good to pass up.

"We haven't had a lot of practice time, when we can get it, we have to use it," Triano said before the extended holiday trip began.

Since taking over from the fired Sam Mitchell on Dec. 3, Triano's only had about four practices with his team and a couple of them were just extended video sessions after the team played back-to-back games.

And the schedule doesn't ease all that much, although there will be some time for work.

After tonight's game, Toronto plays tomorrow in Portland and Monday in Oakland against Golden State before returning home to face Denver on New Year's Eve.

That game against the Nuggets begins a stretch of three straight at home, all separated by a day that will allow Toronto to get in some serious practice.

No Kings at home

There was a time when the Raptors could expect a tough time in a game at Sacramento, where the Arco Arena fans were known as some of the rowdiest and most vocal in the NBA.

Not any more.

The Kings, just 7-22 going into tonight's game against Toronto, have fallen to 29th of 30 NBA teams in attendance (averaging just over 12,000 a game) and haven't sold out a game this season.

The Kings, during the heyday of Chris Webber, Vlade Divac and Peja Stojakovic, once had a string of 254 consecutive sellouts.

Voskuhl find his role

Jake Voskuhl has found his niche.

The veteran center, signed as a free agent Dec. 14, has appeared in each of Toronto's last two games and appears to have settled into a role as the fourth big man in the rotation behind Chris Bosh, Jermaine O'Neal and Andrea Bargnani.

The 30-year-old has only averaged seven minutes a game in his brief Toronto tenure but has supplanted Kris Humphries in the rotation.