(My Sportsbook) - "Air Jordan." "Magic." "The Mailman."

There are very few NBA nicknames that suit a player perfectly. "Stevie Franchise" is the latest addition to the list.

Steve Francis, as he is known to casual fans, is doing it all for the Rockets, who are off to a strong 5-3 start.

Coming off an injury-riddled 2001-02 season, Francis is the third-leading scorer in the league this year with a 28.1 per game average while shooting 48 percent from the field. The 6-3 guard also owns averages of 7.9 rebounds and 5.5 assists per contest.

"It's OK to talk about him and the MVP," Houston forward Glen Rice told the Houston Chronicle. "The guy is going out and proving it night in and night out. The simple fact he's doing a lot of scoring, that's great. But you have to look at the other things he's doing. He rebounds. He has that tough mentality, that no-quit attitude. When someone has those ingredients, it's easy to label them a superstar."

In Sunday's big 93-89 win over the Los Angeles Lakers, Francis scored 11 of his team-high 27 points in fourth quarter to ignite a furious Houston rally.

The Rockets trailed by five after three quarters, but began the fourth with a 17-4 burst. Houston went on to outscore the Lakers 34-25 in the frame and held on for the win.

Despite Francis' stellar performance Sunday, he was overshadowed by the effort from rookie Yao Ming.

Yao, the first-overall pick in the draft, netted a career-high 20 points against the Lakers on 9-of-9 shooting in 23 minutes. He also made both of his free throw attempts and grabbed six boards.

"I guess it's luck," Yao said through an interpreter about his perfect shooting night. "For me, it's definitely a breakthrough."

The 7-6 Yao has been brought along slowly by Houston coach Rudy Tomjanovich. However, Tomjanovich wasn't afraid to throw Yao into the fire on Sunday, playing the China native the entire fourth quarter against the Shaq-less Lakers.

Yao responded and converted a three-point play with a minute left that clinched the win.

"There never was a doubt in our minds that he can play," Houston forward Maurice Taylor said. "The reason we won was the buckets he had down the stretch. He was a presence tonight."