Paul Pierce has said that his and Kevin Garnett's competitiveness is starting to rub off on their Brooklyn Nets teammates.
The small forward, who moved to Brooklyn with Garnett in an off-season trade from the Boston Celtics, scored 10 points in the Nets' 102-93 win over the Los Angeles Clippers, which was their third victory in a row.
The 36-year-old told reporters: "We hope so. I think our experience, our competitiveness, our leadership, hopefully can rub off on everybody. We're starting to see signs of that, and that's what we're here for.
"I grew under [former Celtics and now Clippers coach Doc Rivers]. I was a young player, played nine years with him, just continued to mature and become an all-around player under him.
"Before I was really known as a scorer and he took over and taught me the other parts of the game, the defense, the rebounding, the passing. He just helped my game grow and mature."
The Nets sit second in the Atlantic Division.
Sian Cowper
