NBA ROUNDUP : Price Making Cavaliers Right in a Hurry

Until the last month of the 1988-89 regular season, the Cleveland Cavaliers were as good as any team in the NBA. They faded in the stretch and were knocked out of the playoffs by Michael Jordan and his Chicago Bulls in the first round.

The Cavaliers, on the strength of their first experience as a contender, expected to do better this season.

That was before injuries deprived Coach Lenny Wilkens of three-fifths of his starting lineup. His bench was on the court when the season opened. It was not too surprising that the Cavaliers, missing Larry Nance, Brad Daugherty and Mark Price, lost their first four games.

The loss of Nance and Daugherty, who will not return before mid-December, was considered especially serious. But the return of Price, the 6-foot-1 playmaker, has quickly turned the Cavaliers around.

Price made four of the Cavaliers’ club-record eight three-point baskets Wednesday night at Richfield, Ohio, to lead them to a surprisingly easy 129-104 victory over the Golden State Warriors. It was the third game for Price this season; the Cavaliers have won them all.

The Cavalier guards--Price, Ron Harper, Steve Kerr and Craig Ehlo--had 39 points in the first half to lead the home team to a 66-48 lead.

The Cavaliers increased the lead to 29 points despite a 29-point performance by Chris Mullin. It was the second loss in a row for the Warriors (2-5), who also play at Charlotte and Atlanta before returning home.

In his three games, Price is nine for 17 on three-pointers. “With other guys who can shoot long,” he said, “it opens it up for me.”

The one-sided game enabled the Cavaliers to play backup center Chris Dudley, wearing a soft cast on his broken left wrist, for the first time. He was four for seven and had eight points in nine minutes.

Boston 126, New Jersey 92--In the absence of Larry Bird and with a weak bench, the Celtics were vulnerable in back-to-back games last season.

The return of Bird and the strongest group of reserves in a long time has remedied that problem.

Bird had his first triple-double and the Celtics, after Tuesday night’s last-second win at Hartford, Conn., romped at Boston.

Bird had 12 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists. Robert Parish had 26 points and 12 rebounds, and the Celtics raced to a 38-23 lead and were never headed.

Philadelphia 109, Charlotte 96--Charles Barkley, who always talked about as good a game as he played, keeps telling everyone that his 76ers will win the Atlantic Division.

The team’s play on the court doesn’t make Barkley appear to be a prophet. They have struggled in every game.

This one at Philadelphia was no exception. The second-year Hornets were tied, 82-82, with 10:29 to play. Then Barkley, who finished with 29 points and 17 rebounds, and Johnny Dawkins led a 27-14 spurt that enabled the 76ers to improve to 3-3.

Charlotte rookie J.R. Reid, who had his first big night Tuesday when the Hornets won their only game, scored 13 points and had six rebounds in 34 minutes.

Detroit 130, Miami 94--The NBA champion Pistons were humiliated Saturday night at Miami. They were out for revenge in the rematch at Auburn Hills, Mich.

Guards Isiah Thomas and Joe Dumars scored six points apiece in a 15-5 spurt in the second quarter to break the game open.

The Pistons sank their last seven shots in the first half to open up a 70-55 lead. In the second half, the Heat collapsed, scoring only 39 points and missing 15 of 17 shots in one spell.

“We were out for blood,” said forward John Salley, who blocked three shots and had 11 rebounds in 27 minutes. “We weren’t about to let them beat us again.”

Utah 108, Chicago 107--Michael Jordan scored 22 of his 40 points in the fourth quarter at Salt Lake City to put the Bulls in front. But he couldn’t stop John Stockton in the closing seconds as the Utah guard scored the last two baskets to give the Jazz the victory.

Stockton’s layup at the buzzer capped an 8-0 rally.

Phoenix 109, Portland 107--In the fourth quarter at Phoenix, the Suns blew a 10-point lead, then overcame an 11-point deficit before winning.

Portland, which trailed, 89-79, used a 12-0 run to take a 93-82 lead before the Suns’ final rally.

Eddie Johnson’s jumper with 12 seconds left put the Suns ahead. They won when Terry Porter’s layup at the buzzer bounced off the rim.

San Antonio 86, Minnesota 76--Coach Larry Brown has so many new players that he figures the first few weeks of the season will be a struggle.

Although they pulled out this victory at Minneapolis, the Spurs, playing without injured playmaking guard Maurice Cheeks, were not impressive. It took a 14-3 spurt early in the fourth quarter to pull out their third victory in six games.

Denver 109, Washington 98--Guard Michael Adams scored nine of his 30 points in the first three minutes of the second half at Denver to get the Bullets on the run.

John Williams scored 29 points for the Bullets, but with high-scoring Jeff Malone out because of flu, the Bullets couldn’t match Denver’s firepower.