Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles.

Do you know the NBA forwards and backwards? If so, you’ll score big on today’s Connections: Sports Edition. Read on for hints and the answers.

Connections: Sports Edition is out of beta now, making its debut on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 9. That’s a sign that the game has earned enough loyal players that The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by the Times, will continue to publish it. It doesn’t show up in the NYT Games app but now appears in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can continue to play it 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: Hoops teams.

Green group hint: B-ball characters.

Blue group hint: Oklahoma players.

Purple group hint: Indiana players.

Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Yellow group: This year’s NBA conference finalists.

Green group: NBA mascots.

Blue group: Thunder stars of years past.

Purple group: Pacers stars of years past.

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 this year’s NBA conference finalists. The four answers are Knicks, Pacers, Thunder and Timberwolves.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is NBA mascots. The four answers are Benny, Boomer, Burnie and Rumble.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is Thunder stars of years past. The four answers are Durant, Harden, Ibaka and Westbrook.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is Pacers stars of years past. The four answers are George, Miller, O’Neal and Smits.

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 recently.

#1: Series A Clubs, Jan. 11. Answers: Atalanta, Juventus, Lazio, Roma.

#2: WNBA MVPs, Jan. 21. Answers: Catchings, Delle Donne, Fowles and Stewart.

#3: Premier League team nicknames, Jan. 17. Answers: Bees, Cherries, Foxes and Hammers.

#4: Homophones of NBA player names, Jan. 26. Answers: Barns, Connect, Heart and Hero.