The Brooklyn Nets are on a slump, as they have lost all of their last three games. After their 124-108 road loss on Sunday at the hands of the Oklahoma City Thunder, head coach Jacque Vaughn hit his team with a reality check that he is hoping will light a fire under his players.

“We need each other. I'm not a Hall of Fame coach & we have no All-Stars on our team. And so this is a collective group that has to play together on every single night & we'll continue to grasp that ideal. But that's the challenge for this group,” Vaughn said, per Brian Lewis of The New York Post.

The Nets' defense, in particular, has been worse of late. Over their last three outings, the Nets have given up an average of 126.0 points — fifth-worst in the entire NBA over that same stretch. Teams have also shot 54.4 percent from the field and 45.9 percent from behind the arc in that span. The Thunder, for one, drained over 54 percent of their field-goal tries and went 18-for-33 from deep.

If Brooklyn wants to end their losing skid, it can begin with tightening up its defense, which the New Orleans Pelicans will look to further expose in this coming Tuesday's showdown with Vaughn's squad.

Even though the Nets have lost eight of their last 10 games, they are still very much in the race for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, as they are ninth with a 15-18 record. There is still plenty of time for Brooklyn to turn things around.