The first round of the NBA Horse Competition was pretty entertaining and included a few surprising upsets.

Trae Young vs. Chauncey Billups

Trae Young started decently, giving Chauncey Billups the first two letters with a left handed floater off the glass on the right side of the bucket and a shot from behind the backboard. The two traded shot for shot for a while, until Billups picked up the R thanks to missing a left-handed free throw.

Billups showed why his nickname used to be ‘Smooth’ and ‘Mr. Big Shot’. He forced Young to miss with a one-legged three off the dribble, a three from out of bounds, a banked three from the top of the line, a one-handed scoop free throw, and another banked three.

Chris Paul vs. Allie Quigley

Allie Quigley opened up with a couple of good trick shots: a one-footed jumper on the left side and then a shot from behind the backboard behind the rim on the right side. Chris Paul was able to match those.

Paul picked up the first letter by missing a relatively simple corner three. Quigley then pulled out a classic trick shot from ‘Pistol’ Pete Maravich, making a bank shot on the left side while sitting on the floor, and gave her opponent another letter.

Quigley also missed a simple shot for her first letter, a regular free throw. Paul would get his third letter though, thanks to a missed stepback jumper. He then missed on an elbow bank shot. He managed to give his opponent two more letters thanks to a one-legged trick shot from the free throw line, and a no-rim layup.

After all those trick shots made by the two, it was surprising that the winner for Quigley was a simple banked free throw.

Mike Conley vs. Tamika Catchings

I previously predicted that Mike Conley would have to use athletic layups to win, but Tamika Catchings was the first one to attempt such a thing: a 360-layup that Conley matched.

The first letter came for Catchings thanks to a weak-hand jumpshot. The next came from a single-dribble turnaround three from the right corner. Her third came from a free throw, and Conley then went for another weak-handed shot, this time from the corner three that gave Catchings her fourth letter.

Catchings forced an H from Conley with a corner jumper, but Conley won the game with a weak-handed layup from behind the backboard.

Zach LaVine vs. Paul Pierce

The big question for Zach LaVine was how he was going to win in HORSE against a great shooter, because the rules prevented dunking of any kind.

He used his creativity for the first shot, a reverse layup that had him touch the backboard with the ball on the opposite side first. Paul Pierce was able to match it, even while playing on a wet court.

Pierce couldn’t match a scoop shot from between the legs from LaVine for his first letter. He got his second by missing a corner jumper. LaVine went with another trick shot to give Pierce a third letter, a reverse layup that also required the opposite hand to touch the backboard first.

LaVine really used Pierce’s old legs against him, giving his opponent a fourth letter with a simple no-rim layup that Pierce would have made with his eyes closed a decade ago. To clinch it, LaVine went from attacking the rim to showing his range – making a three from way out of bounds.

The semifinals and finals will air next Thursday morning at 9 PM Eastern Time, which should be 9 AM here in the Philippines.