The Toronto Raptors dropped their fifth game in seven tries in exhibition play at the Air Canada Centre, 101-82 to the Boston Celtics, yesterday afternoon.

Toronto's past three losses have comfortably been by double figures.

The Raptors have eight more practice days split by just one more exhibition game before they open the season at home against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

"We just have to keep pounding away over the next 10 days and I kind of like it. I have their attention," said Raptors head coach Jay Triano. "If we win ugly right now, what do we get from that? Guys are going to come in feeling all good tomorrow. I don't want them feeling good. I want them ready to practise."

There is some room for encouragement. Yesterday, Triano got some positive feedback on what he might have to work with at the top end of his rotation.

Andrea Bargnani, Chris Bosh, Jose Calderon, DeMar DeRozan and Hedo Turkoglu, for example, played the Celtics' starters even or just a little bit better as the Raptors were up five points for an afternoon when they had their top unit on the floor.

The downside?

The Raptors could only play their starting group together for 10 minutes. They lasted six minutes together to start the game before Triano had to sub out Bosh and Turkoglu, who are still getting into game shape after missing the first third of training camp.

In the second half he only got four minutes out of Turkoglu with the starters before he had to ask to be subbed out to catch his breath.

"This cold gets me, I guess," said Turkoglu, with a smile. "But I'm trying to push myself as hard as I can. Jay said whenever I need to [rest] just tell me. So I came out, took a couple of minutes rest and then came back. It's going to make me in better shape, so he was helping me and hopefully these practices and the last game against Minnesota will help me to be in better shape."

In those 10 minutes there were some good signs. Turkoglu, who finished with a team-high 16 points in 27 minutes, is clearly getting more confident offensively. In his brief early stint he connected on a pair of jumpers, got fouled on a strong move across the lane and assisted on baskets by DeRozan and Bargnani as the Raptors played Boston even in the early going.

He was at it again after the half. Turkoglu got Toronto going with a three-pointer and a layup as Toronto jumped out to a 5-0 burst before he signalled to Triano to take him out.

"In the third quarter we were on borrowed time," Triano said. "Right now, due to the injuries and the late start of training camp we're just over half-a-game ready and you can see it. Physically we can't do it, and when the physical part goes the mental part goes. We are not thinking as far as our coverages are concerned."

The Raptors have pledged defence as an essential building block this season but allowed Boston to shoot an even 50 per cent from the floor after Houston connected on 56 per cent of its attempts on Thursday. Toronto shot 43.7 per cent from the floor and just three-of-11 from the three-point line.

The starting group was effective offensively but had mixed results without the ball. Boston shot 13-of-17 in the first quarter and rookie DeRozan had a hard time keeping up with the endless moves and cuts of veteran Ray Allen, who shot three-of-three from the field while being covered by DeRozan. In their early burst to start the third quarter they held Boston without a point for 10 possessions. Kevin Garnett led all scorers with 21 points while Allen had 20.

But apart from some promising signs from the starting unit the Raptors had a terrible time with Boston, which won the 2008 NBA Championship and seemed on its way to repeat last season before Kevin Garnett was injured late in the season and the playoffs.

It's a deep, veteran team, and only more so with the additions of the likes of Rasheed Wallace and Marquis Daniels.

Like Triano Celtics coach Doc Rivers isn't coaching the score in the preseason; the difference is his team isn't trying to reinvent themselves.

"It's always better to win when you're out there," said Rivers, whose team is 5-1 in preseason play. "But I'm going to work what I need to work on .... I could care less. We know what we want, we know who we are."

The Raptors still have 10 days to go before the season starts for real and can't say the same thing yet.