Jordan, Bulls Take Control, Leaving Cavaliers in Trouble : Eastern Conference: Despite wrist injury, he scores 32 points to give Chicago a 3-0 lead in series.

Though bothered by a sprained right wrist, Michael Jordan scored 32 points Saturday and took control down the stretch in leading the Chicago Bulls to a 96-90 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers and a 3-0 lead in their Eastern Conference semifinal series.

No team has overcome a 3-0 deficit in the NBA playoffs, and the Cavaliers have been eliminated by the Bulls three times since 1988. Game 4 will be played Monday night at Richfield Coliseum.

“That’s the initiative: Get it over with quickly, try to keep this team from gaining confidence,” Jordan said. “They’re thinking about their backs to the wall, the long fight to get back into this. That’s all in our favor.”

Jordan, who scored 10 of the Bulls’ last 13 points, put Chicago ahead for good with 5:26 to play, stealing Brad Daugherty’s cross-court pass to start a fast break that Jordan finished with a layup for an 87-86 lead. Scottie Pippen followed with a dunk that made it 89-86.

The Cavaliers got within a point twice after that, both times on jumpers by Larry Nance, before Jordan’s three-point play increased the Bulls’ lead to 94-90 with 2:50 to play.

Cleveland, smothered by the Bulls’ defense, did not score again. The Cavaliers scored only 15 points during the fourth quarter.

“I was hoping he (Jordan) wouldn’t feel needed,” Cleveland Coach Lenny Wilkens said. “But apparently he felt needed, because in the third and fourth quarters, he shot pretty well.”

Chicago has won all six of its playoff games this year, sweeping Atlanta in the first round and following with the three victories against Cleveland. Atlanta and Cleveland both gave the Bulls trouble during the regular season, the Hawks splitting four games with Chicago, Cleveland winning three of five.

Including last year’s NBA finals, the Bulls have won eight consecutive playoff games.

“From my standpoint, the 82-game season was tough for us, because we couldn’t focus in those 82 games,” Jordan said. “Now we know we have to focus in. The playoffs are a new season.”

Jordan, who suffered his wrist sprain Thursday night at Chicago, made 12 of 24 shots and eight of 10 free throws.

“If Darrell Walker played the last 10 years without a jump shot, I figure I can do it,” Jordan said, ribbing his teammate. “I didn’t have a sense of touch. I felt I was shooting more with the elbow than with the wrist. I shot a couple of air balls. I found myself thinking about it more, rather than playing instinctively. In the second half, I decided to do what I could do, and I started to play without really thinking about it.”

Pippen had 28 points and nine rebounds, and B.J. Armstrong scored 12 points for the Bulls.

Nance led Cleveland with 24 points on 11-of-12 shooting before fouling out late in the game. Mark Price scored 18 points.

The Cavaliers showed more emotion than they did in the first two games of the series, frequently hacking and grabbing Chicago players to prevent uncontested layups. Price and Pippen got into a brief shoving match after Price fouled Pippen during the third quarter, and Daugherty was called for a flagrant foul on Armstrong a few minutes later.