STEPH CURRY made nine 3-pointers and scored 42 points, Kevin Durant added 25 and Golden State returned to face a very different looking Cleveland team for the first time since winning another NBA title and beat the Cavaliers 129-105 Wednesday night.

Fully healed after missing 11 games with a strained groin, Curry scored nine points in less than a minute midway through the fourth quarter to help the Warriors pull away for their eighth straight win over their former Finals rivals.

Curry added nine rebounds and seven assists, and Durant had 10 rebounds and nine assists.

It was Golden State’s first visit to Cleveland since June, when the Warriors completed a sweep to win their third championship in four years.

Nothing in Quicken Loans Arena felt or looked the same.

“The energy before the game, after the game,” Durant said, noting the changes in Cleveland. “There were more media members here the last couple of years. We were talking about that before we ran out on the floor. That was a circus right here during the Finals. You start thinking about the great memories you had, especially the championship.

“I’m sure we’ll feel those feelings every time we walk into the building.”

This was the first matchup between the Warriors and Cavaliers since LeBron James left as a free agent last summer. The Cavs are starting from scratch after a four-year run as Eastern Conference champions, and they’re struggling without All-Star Kevin Love, who is recovering from foot surgery, while forward J.R. Smith is on a forced hiatus.

There are no playoff plans in Cleveland, where fans are keeping as close an eye on Duke’s talented freshmen players as what the Cavs are doing.

Tristan Thompson, one of the only holdovers from those powerful Cavs teams, had 19 rebounds and 14 points. Rookie Collin Sexton scored 20 points for Cleveland.

For Warriors coach Steve Kerr, the Golden State-Cleveland Finals, a four-act play loaded with drama and intensity, had it all.

“Some of the best basketball I’ve ever seen in my life,” Kerr said before the game. “Obviously, they have a new team and so you move on. Part of me is a little nostalgic for that.”

(SD-Agencies)