ORLANDO, Fla. -- The Orlando Magic got their signature win Wednesday night.

The Magic beat the Houston Rockets, 104-101, moving closer to becoming playoff contenders once again and leaving their woeful, recent past far behind.

The Magic (17-12) won for the fifth time in the last six games, snapping the Rockets (15-15) three-game winning streak. For a team that won 20, 23 and 25 games the previous three seasons, it was no small accomplishment to beat a team with star power.

"We've become a better team," said Magic center Nikola Vucevic, who led the charge with 21 points. "I take a lot of satisfaction from that. We've worked hard to improve. We've done the work, but we're not there yet. We've just taken a step."

Rockets guard James Harden led everyone with 31 points and seven assists, but the Magic smothered him on their last two possessions to protect the lead.

Magic guard Evan Fournier hit a four-foot bank shot for the 102-101 lead with 14 second remaining and Tobias Harris hit two free throws with 1.1 left to preserve the win.

Harris had 19 points and eight rebounds. Fournier finished with 17 points. Point guard Elfrid Payton had 12 points and a game-high nine assists. Channing Frye had 10 points. Reserve Aaron Gordon had 14 points, all in the second quarter.

"This was a great win for us, another huge step," Harris said. "To do it in a tight game, after losing the lead, it showed we still have confidence. We want to be a great team, and we're working toward that."

The Rockets got 12 points and seven rebounds from Dwight Howard. Ty Lawson had 11 points. Clint Capela got 10 points and Trevor Ariza had 8 points and eight rebounds. Ariza missed a 3-pointer with 3. 9 second remaining after the ball was knocked away from Harden.

"Tonight was the only game in the last five or six that we weren't consistent throughout the game," Harden said. "We had been playing really, really well. We picked it up in the fourth quarter and got it going defensively, but it wasn't enough."

The Rockets held the Magic to just 17 points in the final period, but their earlier struggles cost them the chance at a victory.

Guard Patrick Beverly gave the Rockets a 101-100 lead when he hit two free throws with :26 remaining. Fournier quickly countered with the winning basket. Harden gave the Rockets their first lead of the second half, 99-98, by hitting a jump shot with 2:47 remaining. Payton followed with a driving layup.

"It starts with myself and James," Howard said. "We have to do a better job of attacking the defensive end and making plays, not allowing them to get easy baskets. We just have to stay positive, to stay focused now."

The Rockets return to action to play the San Antonio Spurs on Christmas Day, a time reserved for the league's marquee teams. The Magic, meanwhile, don't play again until Saturday at home against Miami.

Sparked by Harden and Lawson, the Rockets made a 13-0 run early in the fourth quarter to pull within one point. Lawson hit a 3-pointer with 5:06 remaining to cut the deficit to 96-95.

The Magic scored the first six points of the second half to open a 12-point lead. They led 87-74 going into the fourth, never losing control in the third period when Harris scored eight of his points.

The Magic led 59-53 at intermission, riding a surprising burst from Gordon. He had 14 points in the second period, matching his scoring total from the previous five games combined.

Harden scored 13 points in the first period, his third consecutive game of scoring at least 10 points in the first 12 minutes. After trailing by as many as 10 points early, the Rockets rode Harden through a 21-3 run.

Fournier hit back-to-back 3-pointers late in the second period for the 59-50 lead. Beverly countered with another 3-pointer just before halftime.

Vucevic had 11 points and four rebounds at intermission. Reserve Terrence Jones gave the Rockets an early spark with eight points in 12 first-half minutes. Lawson returned from his two-game suspension and was the first Rockets guard off the bench.

NOTES: Magic coach Scott Skiles had some high praise for Rockets G James Harden before the game when talking about his ability to create free throw opportunities. Harden is averaging a league-high 11.1 attempts per game after leading the NBA last season at 10.2 per game. Harden came into the game having made 26 more free throws this season (322) than anyone else in the league had taken. "He's maybe the best of all time in drawing fouls," Skiles said. "And it has such a powerful effect on the game." ... Rockets G Ty Lawson returned to action on Wednesday after a two-game suspension for a DUI offense last summer. ... The Magic recalled G Devyn Marble on Wednesday from the Erie BayHawks of the NBA Development League. He was averaging 13.9 points and 2.9 assists. ... The Magic went into the game with a 10-4 record since putting F Channing Frye in the starting lineup in place of G Victor Oladipo. ... The Rockets beat the Magic in overtime earlier this season in Houston when C Dwight Howard hit all 10 of his shots from the field and scored 23 points. ... Howard believes his recent one-on-one workouts with Harden have been key to their recent rise. "We've had opportunities to really try and figure this out, how we can become a dominant tandem that we need to be to win," Howard said.