Worried about missing today’s Connections: Sports Edition. No problem. Or maybe you are struggling. It depends on whether you know a certain southern city’s sports scene.
If you want the answers right now. Or maybe the hints first. This breakdown has both. Keep in mind the Sports Edition comes from The Athletic, not the NYT Games app directly. It’s owned by the Times though. You’ll find it in the Athletic app or online. It’s free.
The Setup
Puzzle #613 drops on May 29. It might look tricky at first glance. Unless you’re a die-hard NBA fan. Or someone who spends time in Music City. The groups range from straightforward yellow to the notoriously messy purple.
Here are the clues they gave you.
The Hints
- Yellow: Not your hand, but…
- Green: Homes for hoopsters.
- Blue: They run the org.
- Purple: Music City jocks.
See what they did there. Subtle.
The Answers
Yellow is simple enough. It asks how you hit a ball with your foot.
The four words?
- Boot
- Kick
- Punt
- Strike
Nothing to write home about. Move on.
Green gets specific. You need the first words in NBA team names. Locations. Places.
- Golden (Warriors)
- Los (Lakers, Clippers)
- New (Knicks)
- Oklahoma (Thunder)
Blue deals with the top guys. League commissioners.
- Bettman
- Goodell
- Manfred
- Silver
Then there is the purple group. This is where most people trip. It asks for athletes in Nashville. Specifically, the mascots.
- Commodore
- Predator
- Sound
- Titan
Did you spot the Sound? They don’t play there anymore, but the brand lingers.
There you go. Puzzle solved.
Did it help. Or did it ruin the fun.
Next time, you might want to try guessing before you scroll down. Just saying.
The hardest part isn’t the sports trivia. It’s remembering which teams still have active brands in towns that feel like sports museums now.
