The NBA HORSE Challenge surprised plenty of fans, though mostly due to how ESPN chose to bring this quarantine edition of the beloved blacktop game to a primetime audience. The outcome was not what the league expected, as the footage was no better than the funny handheld clips shown on MTV's Ridiculousness.

However, it did bring plenty of surprises from beginning to end:

Chauncey Billups (HOR) beats Trae Young: A+

A stunner from the get-go. Mr. Big Shot found himself down three letters before finding his legs (and ingenuity) to make a comeback worth of Guile's theme song.

Billups' turned Young's strength and turned it into a weakness — choosing to rifle in 3-pointers, but rather using the glass, stifling any momentum the young Hawks guard had coming into the competition.

His last two challenges — an underhanded free throw and a bank straight-away 3-pointer, were enough to send home one of the favorites to win it all.

The clutch gene seems alive and well for Billups, who greased his chops by shooting over the top of guards and making tough shots when it counted the most.

Young gets a C for trying, but this makes two blown leads in one week after the Oklahoma native lost late in the fourth quarter of the 2K Players Tournament quarterfinals earlier on.

Mike Conley (H) beats Tamika Catchings: B+

If Conley was rated by his internet provider's speed, he would be the runaway champ of this competition. Yet he showed his skills were up to par with most competitors.

The Indiana native had all the advantages of having a home indoor gym — one that no other contestant has — but his shots were weatherproof. A lefty, Conley made use of his ambidexterity for a slew of off-hand shots, giving Catchings four letters with them, including a ridiculous behind-the-backboard layup.

Conley was generous enough to let the soon-to-be Naismith Hall of Famer have a go at it with either hand, but the shot proved too difficult for her to match.

Catchings gets a D here for doing the bare minimum, though the weather conditions were likely unfavorable in her small backyard.

Zach LaVine (Perfect) beats Paul Pierce: B+

LaVine was bound to have the upper edge here because of his youth and athleticism, but once Pierce saw this shot, he likely knew he'd be in it for a long night against the current NBA star.

LaVine came in with a gameplan and used some of his hops and creativity after asking fans for recommendations to beat out The Truth; who made five shots total but couldn't put a single letter on the Washington native.

Pierce seems to have gained some weight since retiring from the league. He was never very athletic during his NBA career, but retirement life has clearly not been very kind when it comes to preserving his legs.

LaVine ultimately daggered him with a left-handed “layup,” which Pierce couldn't muster.

Pierce gets a straight-up F, even if he at one point brought on a scooter to try and put a letter on LaVine to avoid the sweep.

Allie Quigley (HOR) beats Chris Paul: A

If you stuck around long enough to watch this matchup, chances are you were rewarded with the second stunner of the night.

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Hawks, Trae Young, Bulls, Trae Hawks, Dejounte Murray

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Hawks' Trae Young with "OUT" stamped over him.

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Trae Young next to a Hawks logo and Trae Young

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Allie Quigley, a back-to-back WNBA 3-point champion and a career 39.9% 3-point shooter, didn't need many long-range jumpers to beat out a savvy Chris Paul. Instead, she opted for familiar blacktop tricks to get the veteran out of his comfort zone.

This sitting shot in the first video was enough to put the first two letters on Paul, who matched three of Quigley's shots to avoid elimination.

Quigley ultimately eliminated Paul with a bank free throw, a shot that has to hurt, considering the point god is a career 87% foul shooter.

Paul gets a B+ for his tenacity, but getting that far behind Quigley ultimately caught up with him, eliminating him from the tournament.

. . .

All in all, the NBA HORSE Challenge might not have been as glamorously shot as some expected, but it did bring at least some level of competition between players.

Baron Davis suggested that having this type of challenge is not suited for TV, but rather for a Twitter or Twitch stream, which is true in a sense. Yet the four winners will have a go at the title of NBA HORSE champion.

The semifinals and championship will air on Thursday, April 16 at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN.