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You'll spot some food items in today's Connections: Sports Edition, which might give you a good start on the puzzle. If you're struggling with today's puzzle but still want to solve it, read on for hints and the answers.
Connections: Sports Edition is published by The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by The Times. It doesn't appear in the NYT Games app, but it does show up in The Athletic's own app. Or you can play it for free online.
Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta
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: The Big Apple.
Green group hint: Time to work out.
Blue group hint: NBA player.
Purple group hint: Pass the orange juice.
Answers for today's Connections: Sports Edition groups
Yellow group: New York teams.
Green group: Training equipment.
Blue group: Associated with Jayson Tatum.
Purple group: Sports for breakfast.
Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words
What are today's Connections: Sports Edition answers?
The completed NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for April 2, 2026.
NYT/Screenshot by CNETThe yellow words in today's Connections
The theme is New York teams. The four answers are Knicks, Liberty, Nets and Rangers.
The green words in today's Connections
The theme is training equipment. The four answers are foam roller, jump rope, medicine ball and resistance band.
The blue words in today's Connections
The theme is associated with Jayson Tatum. The four answers are 0, Celtics, Duke and The Jays.
The purple words in today's Connections
The theme is sports for breakfast. The four answers are cup of coffee, goose egg, hashmark and pancake block.
Toughest Connections: Sports Edition categories
The Connections: Sports Edition puzzle can be tough, but it really depends on which sports you know the most about. My husband aces anything having to do with Formula 1, my best friend is a hockey buff, and I can answer any question about Minnesota teams.
That said, it's hard to pick the toughest Connections categories, but here are some I found exceptionally mind-blowing.
#1: Serie A Clubs. Answers: Atalanta, Juventus, Lazio, Roma.
#2: WNBA MVPs. Answers: Catchings, Delle Donne, Fowles and Stewart.
#3: Premier League team nicknames. Answers: Bees, Cherries, Foxes and Hammers.
#4: Homophones of NBA player names. Answers: Barns, Connect, Heart and Hero.