The Portland Trail Blazers‘ failure to qualify for the knockout round of the NBA Cup in-season tournament gave the team four days off from games starting Monday.

The team certainly needed the break and the practice time.

The Blazers took Monday off and practiced Tuesday, returning to basics in some areas that cost them during a four-game losing streak.

First and foremost, the Blazers (8-16) tried to remain positive.

“We live in reality but also a positive world,” Blazers coach Chauncey Billups said Tuesday following practice. “I’m always trying to be positive with our guys, while also being honest with them. The season is very, very long. It really is. There’s a lot of ups and downs and ebbs and flows that go into a season. You can’t get too low, you can’t get too high. You got to kind of stay in the middle and keep preaching and teaching.”

The Blazers’ high so far this season came during a three-game winning streak that left them at 6-8 on Nov. 17.

The low has been going 2-8 since. Injuries contributed to the slide. The Blazers’ net rating over those 10 games was minus-13.6, ranked 29th in the NBA.

The typical issues were involved. The Blazers ranked near the bottom in defensive rating (28th), field goal percentage (27th), turnovers (27th) and defensive rebounding (29th).

Having time off from games to work on these areas was a must.

“I think it’s just a good time to get these kind of stretches just to talk about what you’ve been lacking and not only talk about it but actually be able to work on them,” Billups said.

Billups said his team’s defensive pressure and contesting shots at the rim needed work.

“I think we got a little lax defensively,” Billups said.

Attacking the rim remains a problem. Either players don’t finish well or make bad decisions with the ball.

“We’ll work on that this week,” Billups said.

Also, Billups wants to continue working on playing faster.

The Blazers rank 12th in pace (100.04 possessions per 48 minutes), up from last season when they ranked 21st (97.9).

But Billups wants more. Unfortunately, that won’t happen until the team improves its defensive rebounding percentage. They rank 28th (69.7%).

“First of all, you have to get the rebound,” Billups said. “That’s a big hindrance. The rebound thing is a problem for us.”

The team’s rebounding should improve with the expected return of 7-foot-2 rookie center Donovan Clingan on Friday night against the San Antonio Spurs. He practiced Tuesday for the first time after missing seven games with a knee injury.

Team cohesion must also improve.

“We’re noticing sometimes we might drift away when things start to get hard,” said guard Scoot Henderson. “But Chauncey and the rest of the team, we’re all trying to make it a big thing for us to just stay together.”