Today’s NYT Connections Sports Edition: Clues and Solutions for May 12, 2025

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Connections: Sports Edition is a new version of the popular New York Times word game that seeks to test the knowledge of sports fans. Like the original Connections, the game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight, with each new set of words becoming trickier and trickier—so we’ve served up some hints and tips to help you over the hurdle. If you prefer to see today’s puzzle solution, you can jump to the end of this article. But if you'd like to solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

<h2>What is Connections Sports Edition?</h2>
The NYT's latest daily word game has launched in association with The Athletic, the New York Times property that provides the publication's sports coverage. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.

Each puzzle features 16 words, and each grouping is split into four categories. These sets could comprise anything from book titles to software, country names, and more. Even though multiple words may seem like they fit together, there’s only one correct answer. If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake—players can make up to four mistakes until the game ends.

Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to spot connections more easily. Additionally, each group is color-coded, with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.

<h2>Here's a hint for today's Connections Sports Edition categories</h2>
Want a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:

<h2>Connections: How to play and how to win</h2>
Here are today’s Connections Sports Edition categories. Need a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:

- Yellow: Ways to score in basketball
- Green: Areas in a hockey rink
- Blue: MLB managers
- Purple: Things one breaks

Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today’s puzzle before we reveal the solutions. Drumroll, please! The solution to today’s Connections Sports Edition #231 is...

<h3>Ways to score in basketball</h3>
- 3-POINTER
- DUNK
- FREE THROW
- LAYUP

<h3>Areas in a hockey rink</h3>
- CENTER ICE
- CREASE
- NEUTRAL ZONE
- PENALTY BOX

<h3>MLB managers</h3>
- CASH
- CORA
- COUNSELL
- HINCH

<h3>Things one breaks</h3>
- HUDDLE
- RACKED POOL BALLS
- RECORD
- SERVED

Don’t feel down if you didn’t manage to guess it this time. There will be new Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we’ll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints. 

Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today’s Strands. If you're looking for more puzzles, Hotnchill has games for you! 

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