No change despite outburst

An overtime loss in which they gave up 147 points and 18 made 3-pointers, a low point of a slow-developing defensive effort thus far, will not prompt major changes with the Nets’ scheme.

Head coach Jacque Vaughn did not sound overly worried about his team’s defense — an area that projects as a strength but has been a surprising weakness thus far — and mostly attributed Wednesday’s ugly performance in Atlanta to Trae Young & Co. shooting lights-out.

“They made shots,” Vaughn said after practice Friday. “... I watched the game [film] a few ways. I watched it in succession of the 3s that they made and why they made the 3s and who made them. A high level of those were contested, whether Trae shot a 35-footer, whether we had some in transition that we shouldn’t have given up, whether [Dejounte] Murray squares up three dudes and makes a shot. So you gotta look at the quality of those shots at the time.”

There were exceptions and defensive breakdowns — Vaughn was unhappy about the fast-break triples that the Hawks found — but the Nets are not about to overhaul their defensive plans.

Partly as a result of their rebounding issues last season, the Nets this season have switched far less often on pick-and-rolls. Not switching helps ensure the Nets’ best rebounders are not pulled away from the rim.

The different approach this season has not resulted in immediate results for a team with many strong individual defenders, from Ben Simmons to Mikal Bridges to Dorian Finney-Smith to Nic Claxton.

➤ Simmons (nerve impingement), Cam Thomas (ankle sprain) and Dennis Smith Jr. (lower back sprain) did not practice and will miss Saturday’s game.

Johnson, who left Wednesday’s loss early upon cramping up, practiced and was not on the injury report.

➤ The Nets recalled forwards Noah Clowney and Dariq Whitehead from G-League Long Island.