The Charlotte Hornets defeated the Boston Celtics on Wednesday night, 111-102. The Hornets swept their two-game road trip after beating the New York Knicks a couple of days ago. The Hornets also broke a spell after beating the Celtics for the first time since April 2016.

That means Gordon Hayward and Terry Rozier had not snagged a win in the gym they once inhabited before coming over to the Hornets. Hayward struggled because of foul trouble and only scored five points. Rozier, on the other hand, balled out and dropped a game-high 28 points on top of 10 assists.

After the win, Rozier reflected on his stellar performance against his former team.

“It feels good. Just to beat a team like Boston, it feels good. They're a winning program and they have a lot of great players. To come in here and get a win is making a statement. We're trying to get to where they're at as an organization,” said Rozier.

Rozier has a lot of respect for the Celtics, especially since he got his start there. He was drafted by Beantown in 2015 and had a lot of big-time moments for them. Getting his first win against the Celtics is like having that proverbial monkey off of his back. Even if the Celtics were already below the Hornets in the team standings prior to their meeting, there is nothing like kicking them while they're down. The Celtics will probably be around the same seed as them towards the end of the season, so getting the win is great leverage.

Rozier hit timely shots to put the game out of reach. He hit a dagger with under a minute left after a smooth LaMelo Ball dime. LaMelo finished with a triple-double of 15 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists and was throwing straight heat out there to his teammates. Literally.

“When Melo got the ball you always gotta be looking. If you ain't looking, he'll mess around and throw it off your head. Me and him are like night and day. If ain't him, it's me,” said Rozier in jest.

It's always nice to have two guys who can fill it up and set teammates up as well. Not to mention that the whole world got to see it too. The Hornets and Celtics matchup was a nationally televised game on ESPN. It's good that more fans are able to see what the young team is capable of.

“It's huge for the world to watch. It lets people know how serious we are and how good we wanna be,” added Rozier.

The Hornets have definitely elevated their game. They were once in the bottom tier of defensive efficiency rating, now they're in the top 10. They are an unselfish group too, making the right basketball plays. But most importantly, they believe they can beat anybody they face. Just ask coach James Borrego.

“We believe we can beat anybody, anywhere, when we're playing the right way, fully healthy. Depth is the strength of this team. We just gotta keep playing together and for one another and not caring who gets the points or the accolades. Just go out there and play for each other.”

The Hornets improved to 25-20 after the win over the Celtics. They play again on Friday back at home to host the Oklahoma City Thunder.