Talk » great games, Adams said. He made

ORLANDO, Fla. -- So much has been made about the process in this first season of the Orlando Magic under Frank Vogel.There are just no shortcuts in the climb toward respectability for the Magic. And after slow starts in their first four games, Orlando put together its most complete game this season in a 102-94 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Thursday night.Led by Evan Fourniers 29 points on 10-of-15 shooting, the Magic were effective on offense and held DeMarcus Cousins and Rudy Gay in check during the second half to come up with their second straight win.It was better tonight obviously, Fournier said. We were pretty good defensively. The last four games we started the game super flat and had a 10-point deficit by the first quarter.The Magic never trailed Sacramento by more than eight points. Orlando brought the offensive pressure for a change by building its lead to 13 points with Aaron Gordon, Serge Ibaka and Jeff Green all hitting timely shots.There are no guarantees early in the season but these guys are working to gel to come together as a group on the court and to try to do what I am asking them to do, said Vogel, whose team improved to 2-3. That takes a little time, its a process.Late in the second quarter, Vogel turned to his bench of veterans that includes Green, D.J. Augustin, C.J. Watson and Bismack Biyombo to reclaim the lead for good. Bismack was a force with his interior defense, blocking two shots and changing several others, while Augustin and Green both came up with big baskets to give the team a spark.But as big as the baskets were, the Magics defense was even bigger in the second half. Cousins seemed unstoppable in the first half with Ibaka guarding him, but in the fourth quarter Vogel put Nikola Vucevic on Cousins to limit his effectiveness in the paint. Cousins finished with 33 points but only managed eight in the critical fourth quarter once Vucevic was switched on him.Gordon was also huge against the more physical Gay in the second half. Gay only had four points in the second half.This is one of the few complete performances that Ive seen being with the Orlando Magic so that is very inspiring and reassuring that this team can be great, said Gordon, who had 13 points and 10 rebounds.Sacramento coach Dave Joerger liked the fight in his team, but felt the continued issues with turnovers was the determining factor. The Kings (2-4) committed 14 turnovers after coming in averaging 15 per game.They just got too many second chances with our turnovers and too many second chances on the offensive glass, said Joerger, whose team lost its third straight to start a five-game trip. Thats the story of the game.TIP-INSKings: The Kings signed veteran free agent G Jordan Farmar to a contract on Tuesday in hopes of adding some flexibility to the backcourt. ...The NBA announced Wednesday that F Matt Barnes has been fined $15,000 for directing inappropriate language at game officials during the Kings 108-96 overtime loss at Miami on Tuesday.Magic: The Magic have made at least one 3-pointer in 743 consecutive games dating to March 17, 2007. Its the fifth-longest streak in the NBA.WORKING LATERealizing that he needed to work on his free throw shooting, Bismack said he came up to Amway Center by himself late Wednesday night to put up some extra shots.I always try to do that every other day, just listening to the sound of the ball and doing my game preparation, he said. I just love doing that. I enjoy the environment of the gym by myself and sometimes I talk to myself.UP NEXTKings: Sacramentos early five-game road swing continues Saturday night in Milwaukee.Magic: Orlando will play host to the struggling Washington Wizards on Saturday night.Orioles Jerseys China .Y. -- Bills receiver Stevie Johnson has a bone to pick with the NFL schedule maker. Hanser Alberto Jersey . The Barrie Colts defenceman, who impressed many with his play for Canada at the World Junior Hockey Championship, is the top-ranked skater in the February rankings. He has 19 goals and 24 assists for 43 points in 45 games with the Colts this season. https://www.cheaporioles.com/ . But when it comes to determining if Raymond will find a place on the Leafs roster when training camp concludes in a week, well, that decision will ultimately fall to the head coach. Austin Hays Jersey .Y. - New Orleans forward Anthony Davis was chosen Friday to replace the injured Kobe Bryant in the NBA All-Star game that will be played in his home city. Gary Roenicke Jersey . Westbrook has missed 27 games since having a procedure on Dec. 27 to deal with swelling in his injured right knee — the third operation on the knee in nine months.RIO DE JANEIRO -- A three-person International Olympic Committee panel will make a final ruling on which individual Russian athletes are allowed to compete in the Rio de Janeiro Games.The IOCs ruling executive board, meeting Saturday for the final time before the opening of the games next Friday, said the panel will decide on the entry of Russian athletes whose names have been forwarded to compete by their international sports federations and approved by an independent arbitrator.This panel will decide whether to accept or reject that final proposal, IOC spokesman Mark Adams said. We want to make it absolutely clear that we are the ones making the final call.The move comes amid a doping scandal that has led to the exclusion of more than 100 Russian athletes connected to state-sponsored cheating. More than 250 Russian athletes have been cleared to compete by the federations.The panel will have to make its ruling before the opening ceremony, just six days away.Were working on a very, very tight timeline, Adams said. It has to be finished by Friday at the very latest.The panel will consist of three executive board members: Turkeys Ugur Erdener, chairman of the IOC medical commission; Germanys Claudia Bokel, head of the athletes commission; and Spains Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr., a vice president of the modern pentathlon federation.Adams said the panel will review every athlete cleared by the federations, but would not reopen the cases of those who have been barred. An arbitrator from the Court of Arbitration for Sport will make an initial ruling before the final decision goes to the IOC panel.This review board panel will look at every single decision, every single athlete, to make sure the IOC is happy with the decision thats been taken, Adams said. Its very important that the IOC makes the final decision based on independent advice.Saturdays meeting came less than a week after the IOC board decided not to ban Russias entire team from the games because of state-sponsored doping. Rejecting calls by more than a dozen anti-doping agencies for a complete ban on Russia, the IOC left it to the federations to vet which athletes could compete or not.ddddddddddddThe Russians banned so far include the 67 track and field athletes barred as a whole by the IAAF, and more than 30 others rejected under new IOC eligibility criteria. Russias eight-member weightlifting team was kicked out of the games on Friday for what the international federation called extremely shocking doping results that brought the sport into disrepute.The IOC has been roundly criticized by anti-doping bodies, athletes groups and Western media for not imposing a total ban on Russia. Pressure for the full sanction followed a World Anti-Doping Agency report by Canadian lawyer Richard McLaren that accused Russias sports ministry of overseeing a vast doping conspiracy involving the countrys summer and winter sports athletes.Bach has defended the decision as one that protects individual athletes who have not been implicated in doping.Rios preparations, meanwhile, remain clouded on several fronts, including budget cuts, water pollution, slow ticket sales, and concerns over crime and the Zika virus. The games come with the suspended president awaiting an impeachment trial and the country gripped by a severe recession.But Bach and the IOC board remained upbeat following a final progress report by organizing committee chief Carlos Nuzman, including details of the opening ceremony at the Maracana stadium.We cant reveal any secrets but the organizing committee tell us that the ceremony will have Brazilian soul and enchant the world, Adams said.Bach gave the organizers a final pep talk ahead of the first games in South America.He thinks its going to be a great games, Adams said. He made that very, very clear. He gave a very rousing thank you to the team and said, `Now you must concentrate on delivery, delivery, delivery.Also Saturday, the IOC board granted full recognition to the International Ski Mountaineering Federation. It had received provisional recognition in 2014. Saturdays decision marks another step toward potential future inclusion in the Winter Games. ' ' '