Houston, TX -- Jameer Nelson scored all 10 of his points in the fourth quarter, including eight straight at one point to give Orlando the lead with under two minutes left, as the Magic rallied to beat the Houston Rockets, 76-74, at the Toyota Center.

Steve Francis had 27 points against his former team, but it was Nelson who helped Orlando to its first win of the season after three defeats.

"We finally got one and at least we won't be 0 and 82," Magic head coach Brian Hill said. "We all needed it for our mental being. We are improving every game."

Dwight Howard and DeShawn Stevenson each had 12 points for the Magic, who snapped a six-game skid against the Rockets. Howard also had 11 rebounds.

Yao Ming had 17 points for Houston, which has lost two in a row without Tracy McGrady since beating Sacramento in the season opener. McGrady could be sidelined up to three weeks with a back injury.

"We missed some makeable shots, a couple of bad plays earlier in the quarter in transition," Rockets head coach Jeff Van Gundy said. "It doesn't take much to lose a hard-fought game."

Nelson's three-pointer with 1:45 left brought the Magic within 71-70. Following an offensive foul on Derek Anderson, Nelson drained another three- pointer for a 73-71 Orlando edge with 1:14 remaining.

Nelson then hit a shot in the lane over Yao with 51.5 seconds left, and Yao missed a jump hook at the other end. Stevenson's free throws iced the victory, before Luther Head nailed a meaningless three-pointer at the buzzer for Houston.

"I was open. They keyed on Steve and DeShawn, and they left me wide open," Nelson said. "I'm a basketball player. I practice those shots every day. I haven't been making many, but they tell me to keep shooting. You make some, you miss some."

The game was tight the entire way, as neither club led by more than six points. The Rockets scored the game's first six points and led 20-18 after one quarter and they held a 39-38 edge at the half. Orlando went ahead in the opening seconds of the third and held a 55-52 edge going into the fourth.

An Alston jumper gave the Rockets a 71-67 lead with 2:06 left before Nelson took over.

Francis, who played for Houston from 1999-2004, hit 12-of-26 shots from the field in 42 minutes. He scored the first eight points for Orlando in the fourth.

"I just wanted to win, to do whatever I had to," Francis said. "They doubled me, and I was able to get the ball to Jameer. The last couple of games he hasn't been making shots. I told him to stick with it, and tonight he came through for us."

Game Notes

Jon Barry had 10 points for Houston...The Magic shot 37.8 percent from the field, compared to 37.1 percent for Houston.