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I'm fairly well-versed in sports, but Connections: Sports Edition is by far the toughest of the New York Times Games puzzles that I regularly play. For now, the game is in beta, which means the Times is testing it out to see if it's popular before adding it to the site's Games app. You can play it daily for the next few weeks for free — and then we'll have to see if it sticks around. I do OK at the sports version, but I think there are a few I might do better at, like a movies, music or a TV-themed puzzle. This is all to say that while I did group the blue answers together, I would never in a million years have picked the theme that bound them together.
Read more: NYT Has a Connections Game for Sports Fans. I Tried It
Hints for today's Connections: Sports Edition groups
Here are four hints for the groupings in today's Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.
Yellow group hint: I'm so excited.
Green group hint: H-town.
Blue group hint: Be like Mike.
Purple group hint: Not front, but...
Answers for today's Connections: Sports Edition groups
Yellow group: Hype
Green group: Houston sports teams
Blue group: Teams Michael Jordan defeated in the NBA finals
Purple group: ____ back
Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words
What are today's Connections: Sports Edition answers?
The yellow words in today's Connections
The theme is hype. The four answers are anticipation, ballyhoo, buildup and buzz.
The green words in today's Connections
The theme is Houston sports teams. The four answers are Cougars, Dash, Dynamo and Rockets.
The blue words in today's Connections
The theme is teams Michael Jordan defeated in the NBA finals. The four answers are Jazz, Lakers, Supersonics and Trailblazers.
The purple words in today's Connections
The theme is ____ back. The four answers are corner, defensive, full and running.