Today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle challenged players with four groups linked to basketball and related culture. The game, published by The Athletic (a New York Times company), tests pattern recognition skills. Here’s a breakdown of the categories and solutions for those who need a helping hand.
Puzzle Breakdown
The puzzle consists of sixteen words that fit into four distinct categories. The difficulty varies, with some groups being more straightforward than others. The game’s purpose is to identify these connections, but sometimes, the logic can be obscure.
Category Solutions
Here’s how the puzzle breaks down:
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Yellow: New York Basketball Teams. The answers are Knicks, Liberty, Nets, and St. John’s. This is the easiest grouping, relying on local sports knowledge.
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Green: Recent NBA Champions. The correct answers are Celtics, Nuggets, Thunder, and Warriors. This group tests recent NBA history.
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Blue: Iconic Sneakers. The solution set includes Air Jordan, Foamposite, Pump, and Question. This category relies on familiarity with basketball shoe culture.
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Purple: NBA Logo Elements. The most challenging category requires close attention to team branding: Bridge (Brooklyn Nets), Music Note (Memphis Grizzlies), Pickaxe (Denver Nuggets), and Ship (Charlotte Hornets). This group is abstract and less immediately obvious.
Where to Play
Connections: Sports Edition is available through The Athletic app or for free online. It doesn’t appear in the main New York Times Games app.
This daily puzzle continues to be a popular challenge for sports fans, blending trivia with pattern-solving. The purple category, in particular, highlights how deeply logos and branding are intertwined with team identity.
