No Kyrie Irving, no problem. In the team's first performance since announcing Irving's suspension Thursday, the Brooklyn Nets dismantled the Washington Wizards 128-86 Friday night at Capital One Arena.

The 42-point victory is tied for the largest road win in franchise history and the third-largest overall. The win comes as a much-needed morale boost for a team enthralled in a non-stop media circus surrounding Irving's social media posts linking to an antisemitic film.

Kevin Durant led the way in his homecoming with 28 points, 9 rebounds and 11 assists on 10 of 21 shooting. The former MVP drew a collective gasp from the Wizards crowd when he dropped Daniel Gafford with a filthy ankle-breaking crossover in the first quarter.

The Nets took the lead with just over two minutes left in the first before opening up an 11-point cushion. Washington would come back to cut the lead to one with under two minutes remaining in the half, but Brooklyn responded with an 11-0 run to close the frame and never looked back.

Ben Simmons and Seth Curry were also out for the victory. Some takeaways and observations from the much-needed win:

Uptick in ball movement

The Nets had the ball hopping in this one. For a Brooklyn team that scored just 41 points in the second half of their loss to Chicago, Friday's offensive performance was night and day. The Nets dished out a season-high 32 assists on their way to 50/90 (55.6 percent) shooting from the field and 14 of 28 shooting from three.

“In shootaround we had some good sets we drew up, and we knew some of that stuff would work against this team,” Durant said postgame. “So we just continued to move the basketball all night. Everybody touched it, everybody got into the paint. We were able to generate some good offense and that's how we want to play moving forward.”

The offense was noticeably less stagnant and isolation-dependent with Durant surrounded by role players. Similar to many teams this year, the Wizards made the call to sell out with double teams against Durant early. Brooklyn's complementary pieces did a great job of making quick passes off Washington's rotations. This led to high-quality looks that allowed the group to gain momentum and confidence from three.

Seven players reached double figures in the win.

Cam Thomas comes to play

Cam Thomas was noticeably frustrated with his lack of playing time early this season. The second-year guard voiced his frustrations in a postgame interview last week and briefly changed his Instagram bio to “FreeCT” following Brooklyn's loss Tuesday.

With Irving out, Thomas got his first extended opportunity Friday, and the 2021 first-round pick took full advantage. Thomas finished with 17 points, 6 assists and 4 rebounds on 6 of 13 shooting.

Despite Brooklyn's obvious shortage of shot creators this season, Thomas had played just 15 minutes prior to Friday's win. This was likely due to his defensive shortcomings. However, the LSU product made that decision look silly Friday night.

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Ty Jerome Cavaliers
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Thomas orchestrated the offense with ease, picking his spots to attack while making smart passes within the flow of the offense. His six assists Friday set a career-high. The talented scorer also knocked down two of his four three-point attempts. Playmaking and three-point shooting were the two areas Thomas said Brooklyn's coaches emphasized to him this offseason.

“I've been working on my three-point shooting, getting that more efficient, and then really just making plays for others with the ball in my hands,” Thomas said at media day. “I'd probably say those are the two big main things that they want me to work on.”

Thomas' mid-range scoring and finishing ability offer Durant a secondary shot-creator to alleviate pressure. With Irving out a minimum of five games and Curry still not one hundred percent, he should continue to see extended work. And if the 21-year-old can build upon this performance, he should force his way into Brooklyn's rotation indefinitely.

Nets ramp up the defensive intensity

The Nets came into Friday's matchup with one of the worst defenses in the NBA, but you would not have known it if you watched this game. Brooklyn held Washington to 30 of 83 shooting (36.1 percent) from the field and 8 of 34 (23.5 percent) from three while allowing just 39 second-half points.

Bradley beal was coming off a 29-point performance on 11 of 17 shooting in a win at Philadelphia Wednesday. The Nets held the talented guard in check, limiting him to 20 points on 8 of 17 shooting. Kristaps Porzingis also exploded for 30 points on 9 of 13 shooting Wednesday. Brooklyn held the big man to 14 points on 4 of 11 shooting.

Yuta Watanabe continues to be a difference-maker for the Nets defensively, blocking two shots and grabbing a steal on his way to a +21 in 24 minutes.

The 28-year-old also provided a lift on the offensive end, scoring 14 points while shooting 6 of 8 from the field and 2 of 3 from three. Watanabe has been a revelation off the bench for Brooklyn, playing extremely active defense on and off the ball while shooting 9 of 15 (60 percent) from three in eight appearances.

The Japanese product should remain a significant part of the rotation as long as he continues his active defense and respectable three-point shooting.

The win brings the Nets to 3-6 on the season. Brooklyn will look to build upon the performance in another road matchup with Charlotte Saturday before traveling to Dallas on Monday.