Brooklyn (22-35) had lost seven of eight overall and four in a row, including back-to-back defeats to league-best Boston before the break that ultimately spelled doom for Vaughn.
Ollie rode a balanced offensive attack and tenacious defense to win No. 1 as all five Nets starters scored in double figures and Brooklyn gave up its lowest point total of the season after managing the same amount in Saturday’s loss at Western Conference-leading Minnesota.
“It was just how we played, especially defensively,” said reserve guard Lonnie Walker IV after putting up 13 points.
“Each game we have picked it up,” he added. “We have taken it to another level. This game especially.”
Dennis Schroder scored a team-high 18 points, Cam Thomas added 14 before leaving with an apparent ankle injury, Dorian Finney-Smith had 13 and Cam Johnson finished with 12 off the bench for the Nets (22-35), who will wrap up their five-game road trip Tuesday night in Orlando.
Perhaps eager to get Ollie off the schneid, the Nets took it to the Grizzlies (20-38) from the jump, running out to a 30-18 lead after 12 minutes and opening a 66-40 cushion at intermission.
Lamar Stevens scored 17 points for Memphis, which has lost 11 of 13 since a three-game winning streak in late January.
“I just think it was a lack of energy,” Stevens told the Associated Press.
“It’s kind of disappointing because that’s something you can control. I think night in and night out that’s something we should focus on, controlling what we can control.”
Mikal Bridges, the Nets’ leading scorer, was limited to 11 points and Nic Claxton added 10 on 5-of-5 shooting for Brooklyn, which pulled back within three games of 10th-place Atlanta (25-32) for the final spot in the Eastern Conference play-in tournament.
After visiting the Magic (32-26), the Nets will kick off a four-game homestand at Barclays Center by hosting the Hawks for a two-game series that could help them jump back into the postseason hunt.
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