Key Takeaways
NYT Connections: Sports puzzle for July 13 features themes like golf errors, Rams teams, Kings legends, and “Free” terms.
The game blends sports knowledge with wordplay, using color-coded difficulty levels from yellow to purple.
Available weekly via The Athletic, it offers a fun, logic-driven challenge with new puzzles dropping daily at midnight.
Welcome to another fresh batch of brain-bending clues from NYT Sports Connections for July 13. The latest puzzle, No. 293, unlocks a new mix of words, themes, and sports references ready to twist the brain and sharpen focus.
This sports-themed version made its official debut on Super Bowl Sunday and now arrives every week under The Athletic’s banner. Still available to play free online, it continues building on its growing base of players looking for quick mental workouts.
Today’s NYT Connections brings some clever themes. Expect no tricks, just neat groupings designed to test memory, reasoning, and word association, all wrapped in a sporty twist. Only one group today calls for last names. One leans on teams. The others are fully built for word lovers with a competitive edge.
The day’s easiest cluster zooms in on golfing missteps. Simple, blunt terms define this set. The words? Duff, flub, mishit, and shank. All classic expressions for a shot gone wrong. A golfer’s worst moment? That sound. That bounce. That swing turned sour. This set captures it all.
A shift to mascots and team spirit next. This cluster pays tribute to the Rams. Whether from college fields or professional turf, these teams share the horned identity. Colorado State, Los Angeles, Rhode Island, and VCU step into the frame. A neat reminder of how one animal carries meaning across different leagues.
Legends from the Sacramento Kings roster headline this set. Recognition runs high for names like Divac, Richmond, Stojaković, and Webber. All remembered for their skill and presence on the court. This group honors the glory days while testing recall.
A clever, flexible theme ties up the toughest corner of today’s puzzle. The link? The word Free. Not as a gift, but as a prefix. The four: agent, kick, safety, and throw. Each holds a strong identity in the sports world. Each carries energy, unpredictability, and momentum. Together, they form a clean but crafty finale.
The Sports Edition offers a well-balanced game every week. From direct sports terms to broader cultural overlaps, the format keeps players on their toes. The color system adds structure, yellow for the easy wins, green for a little push, blue for real-time memory play, and purple for that final puzzle twist.
The game doesn’t just test knowledge. It challenges the pattern-seeking part of the brain. A mix of logic, recognition, and intuition powers progress. Mistakes happen, but each incorrect guess reveals new insight. Rearranging the board often helps catch what’s been missed. That’s where rhythm builds.
The Athletic delivers this version outside the NYT Games app. Yet its loyal following continues to grow. Fans of sports, words, and challenges return week after week. No downloads, no sign-ins. Just pure, clean wordplay, updated with every new drop.
Tomorrow’s puzzle arrives at midnight. Fresh layout. New patterns. New surprises. Until then, today’s set stands as another sharp entry in this growing game archive. For those who cracked it, congrats! For those still circling, there’s always time. The next challenge waits just around the corner.