NYT Connections: Sports Edition #158, from February 28, 2025, asks you to sort 16 sports-related words into four groups of four. Start with the hints below if you want to solve it yourself; the complete categories and answers follow.
Hints for Connections: Sports Edition #158
Try these clues in order, stopping when you have enough to finish the grid.
- One group is made up of four face cards.
- One group names the four countries in a specific international hockey event.
- Four entries point to the same NBA star through a nickname, an award, a team and a country.
- The final group shares the name “Eagles,” connecting two colleges, a broadcaster and a professional team.
Answers and categories
Spoilers below: these are the exact four groups in the February 28, 2025 puzzle.
| Category | Answers | Connection |
|---|---|---|
| High Cards in Poker | ACE, JACK, KING, QUEEN | The four listed high cards. |
| 4 Nations Face-Off | CANADA, FINLAND, SWEDEN, USA | The four national entries in the hockey event. |
| Associated With Nikola Jokić | JOKER, MVP, NUGGETS, SERBIA | JOKER is his nickname; MVP refers to an award; NUGGETS is his NBA team; SERBIA is his country. |
| Eagles | BOSTON COLLEGE, IAN, MARQUETTE, PHILADELPHIA | Boston College and Marquette use Eagles identities; IAN points to broadcaster Ian Eagle; PHILADELPHIA points to the Eagles team. |
How the puzzle works
Connections: Sports Edition is a sports-focused version of Connections. Parade describes it as a New York Times and The Athletic partnership and quotes the NYT instruction as “group sports terms that share a common thread.” The puzzle format is 16 words arranged into four groups of four. The categories here mix direct team or event names with less direct associations, such as the four clues to Jokić.
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