The Brooklyn Nets checked several necessary boxes to pick up an expected win over the Charlotte Hornets Thursday at Barclays Center.

They shot 49.5 percent from the field and 38.9 percent from three. They dominated the offensive glass, grabbing 22 offensive rebounds on their way to a 14-shot advantage and a season-high 31 second-chance points, and they nearly doubled the Hornets in fastbreak points (20-11).

Yet, Brooklyn's defense failed them again in a 129-128 loss to a Hornets team without LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller.

The Nets allowed Charlotte, who entered the game 27th in made threes (10.8 per game) and 21st in three-point percentage (35.0), to shoot 21-of-36 (58.3 percent) from beyond the arc. Terry Rozier had his way with Brooklyn's defense, scoring a game-high 37 points on 7-of-9 shooting from three. Miles Bridges added 23 points on 9-of-14 shooting from the field, and Gordon Hayward chipped in 22 on 8-of-14.

After allowing 73 first-half points, Brooklyn tightened the screws in the second half. Down one with 30 seconds remaining, Nic Claxton forced Rozier into a difficult pull-up miss. The Nets went the other way in transition, finding Cam Johnson for an open three that came up short to seal the loss.

While his team had a high-quality shot to win the game, head coach Jacque Vaughn said it was far too little, too late, chastising his team's defensive effort postgame.

“It's just unacceptable for this group,” Vaughn said. “We have a standard to play a certain way every single game, and we did not have the standard that we typically have tonight, especially in that first half. That set the tone. That was it.”

Brooklyn's defensive system has been built around forcing opponents into above-the-break threes. Entering Thursday's game, the Nets had allowed 39.1 three-point attempts per game, the third-most in the league.

The strategy has been aimed at protecting the paint and improving Brooklyn's league-worst defensive rebounding a season ago. While it has been successful in both regards, it also grants opponents an opportunity to get comfortable from three. The Hornets took full advantage Thursday.

“For us to give up 70-plus points in the first half, some of those threes they made, they made 'em because they were comfortable,” Vaughn said. “And so when you give an NBA guy a little comfort, who hasn't made shots historically, then the confidence builds and you're able to see the ball go through the hole. And we paid for that tonight, for letting them be too comfortable.”

With Ben Simmons sidelined, Mikal Bridges struggled to contain Rozier at the point of attack. The second-year Net didn't overcomplicate things when asked about Brooklyn's defensive struggles.

“We just didn’t go out there and play hard,” he said postgame. “We just kinda relaxed and gave them confidence.”

Brooklyn entered the season with eight players who ranked in the 80th percentile or better in defensive estimated plus-minus in 2022-23, per dunksandthrees.com. Yet, they ranked 21st in defensive rating entering the Charlotte matchup. The collective effort and cohesion have been underwhelming for a team that entered the year expecting to build an identity on that end of the floor.

After missing Brooklyn's last nine games with an ankle sprain, Cam Thomas scored a team-high 26 points on 11-of-21 shooting off the bench. The 23-year-old played 25 minutes in the loss.

Thomas exited with four minutes left in the game and did not return, a decision Vaughn attributed to a minutes restriction the team had decided on before the game.

Vaughn's squad will have plenty to correct on Thursday's film before they host the streaking Orlando Magic Sunday.