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NYT Connections Sports Puzzle #662 — Answers & Solution
Friday, July 17, 2026 · Difficulty: ⭐⭐⭐ Medium
🏆 NYT Connections Sports Puzzle #662 — Complete Answers
- 🟨 Yellow – NBA Player Nicknames: BIG TICKET, AI, STARBURY, T-MAC
- 🟩 Green – Things with Strings: BOW, LACROSSE STICK, TENNIS RACKET, DEPTH
- 🟦 Blue – Luka Dončić Associations: JORDAN, LAKERS, MAVERICKS, 77
- 🟪 Purple – Countries: CURAÇAO, CAPE VERDE, SLOVENIA, UZBEKISTAN
📋 All 16 Words — Puzzle #662
✅ Full Answers — Puzzle #662
🟨 Yellow — NBA Player Nicknames
🟩 Green — Things with Strings
🟦 Blue — Luka Dončić Associations
🟪 Purple — Countries
🔍 Detailed Breakdown
🟨 Yellow (Easiest) — NBA Player Nicknames
The easiest category in Sports Puzzle #662 is "NBA Player Nicknames". The four words are:
- BIG TICKET
- AI
- STARBURY
- T-MAC
🟩 Green (Medium) — Things with Strings
The medium category in Sports Puzzle #662 is "Things with Strings". The four words are:
- BOW
- LACROSSE STICK
- TENNIS RACKET
- DEPTH
🟦 Blue (Hard) — Luka Dončić Associations
The hard category in Sports Puzzle #662 is "Luka Dončić Associations". The four words are:
- JORDAN
- LAKERS
- MAVERICKS
- 77
🟪 Purple (Hardest) — Countries
The hardest category in Sports Puzzle #662 is "Countries". The four words are:
- CURAÇAO
- CAPE VERDE
- SLOVENIA
- UZBEKISTAN
🎯 Strategy Tips for Puzzle #662
Pro strategy for #662: begin with the Countries (Purple) if you can spot CURAÇAO, CAPE VERDE, and UZBEKISTAN — these are unmistakably nations and locking them in immediately removes SLOVENIA from the Luka temptation. Next, resolve Yellow (nicknames) since AI, T-MAC, STARBURY, and BIG TICKET are all clearly NBA monikers. With those two banked, the Luka Dončić group (Blue) becomes cleaner — you'll no longer be tempted to slot his home country there. Save Green for last and lean on the wordplay: what literally or figuratively has strings? Solving by elimination is your friend on this grid.
⚠️ Red Herring Warning: The masterstroke of this puzzle is SLOVENIA. Since every Blue clue points to Luka Dončić — JORDAN, LAKERS, MAVERICKS, and his jersey number 77 — solvers naturally want to add SLOVENIA (his birth country) to that group. But SLOVENIA belongs with the Countries (Purple), alongside CURAÇAO, CAPE VERDE, and UZBEKISTAN. Second trap: DEPTH CHART sits in "Things with Strings" but isn't sports gear like the BOW, LACROSSE STICK, and TENNIS RACKET — it's there because a depth chart is figuratively "pulling strings" / has string positions... watch that literal-vs-figurative twist. Finally, JORDAN could mislead toward "Countries" (the nation Jordan) instead of the Jordan Brand / Luka connection.
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