You wanted basketball? Well, you got it ... kind of. The opening round of the NBA HORSE Challenge is in the books, with Chauncey Billups, Mike Conley, Zach LaVine and Allie Quigley advancing to Thursday's semifinal round. The two players considered to be favorites entering the competition -- Trae Young and Chris Paul -- both lost in the first round, along with Paul Pierce and recent Hall of Fame selection Tamika Catchings.
Things started off a little slowly on Sunday, but by the end we saw some impressive shots, including 3-pointers off one leg and behind-the-backboard swishes. Now that the players have a little better sense of how things work, Thursday's semifinals and championship should be pretty entertaining.
Here's how to watch the semifinal and final rounds, along with a list of the matchups and the competition rules.
NBA HORSE Challenge Schedule
Semifinals/Championship
- When: Thursday, April 16, 9 p.m. ET
- TV: ESPN | Live Stream: ESPN app
Semifinal matchups
- Chauncey Billups vs. Mike Conley
- Zach LaVine vs. Allie Quigley
Opening round results
- Chauncey Billups def. Trae Young
- Mike Conley def. Tamika Catchings
- Zach LaVine def. Paul Pierce
- Allie Quigley def. Chris Paul
Rules
NBA HORSE Challenge Presented by State Farm participants will be divided into two groups of four, with the winners of the first two games in each group meeting in the semifinals. The winner from each group will move on to the championship round. ESPN will present the four quarterfinal games on Sunday. The semifinals and the championship game will air on Thursday, April 16, beginning at 9 p.m. ET.
A coin toss at the start of each game will determine who shoots first, with the more senior player calling heads or tails. Players must describe each shot attempt, specifying the type of score they intend to make before taking a shot, such as a bank shot or swish. Dunking is prohibited. The first player in each game to accumulate the letters "H-O-R-S-E" after failing to match five shots is eliminated.
