MANILA, Philippines – Chicago Bulls guard Zach Lavine reached the semifinals of the NBA HORSE Challenge in dominant fashion with a shutout win over Paul Pierce on Sunday, April 12 (Monday, April 13, Manila time).
Lavine banked on his creativity and range to beat Pierce, who showed rust post-retirement as he failed to sink a single bucket.
NBA HORSE Challenge
@ZachLaVine defeats @paulpierce34 in Round 1 of the NBA Horse Challenge presented by State Farm on ESPN! pic.twitter.com/OiTxcym9mH
HORSE is a game where two or more players compete, with the first player having to make a shot in a particular way of their choosing and the succeeding players needing to repeat the basket exactly as it was nailed.
If a player fails to duplicate the shot, they gain a letter starting with “H” and will be declared the loser if they complete the word “HORSE.”
While Pierce was easily swept, fellow retired NBA player Chauncey Billups scored an upset over Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young.
Billups trailed by two letters before beating Young at his own game, racking up 5 straight buckets – mostly from the three-point line – to punch his semifinals ticket.
NBA HORSE Challenge
@1MrBigShot defeats @TheTraeYoung in Round 1 of the NBA Horse Challenge presented by State Farm on ESPN! pic.twitter.com/myWrJoNVXs
Considered as the best pure shooter in the eight-player tournament, WNBA standout Allie Quigley of the Chicago Sky stunned Oklahoma City Thunder guard Chris Paul.
Quigley took the driver’s seat with a sitting bank shot before wrapping up her win with a free throw off the backboard.
NBA HORSE Challenge
@alliequigley defeats @CP3 in Round 1 of the NBA Horse Challenge presented by State Farm on ESPN! pic.twitter.com/uUsHtLZVdg
Rounding out the semifinals cast was Utah Jazz guard Mike Conley, who made quick work of WNBA legend Tamika Catchings.
Catchings managed to score a point after being buried by 4 letters, but that only delayed the inevitable as Conley sealed his win with an impressive over-the-backboard right-handed layup.
NBA HORSE Challenge
@MCONLEY10 defeats @Catchin24 in Round 1 of the NBA Horse Challenge presented by State Farm on ESPN! pic.twitter.com/VSjeFdjGLp
The semifinals is scheduled on Thursday, April 16 (Friday, April 17, Manila time), with Billups facing Conley and Quigley going up against Lavine. – Rappler.com
There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.