| 100% | THREE | 5 | Long shot to make in the N.B.A. |
| 55% | ONED | 4 | Made in the A.M. band, to fans |
| 50% | BOOTH | 5 | Popular place to make a phone call, in the '50s |
| 49% | CLAY | 4 | Material used to make the object "illustrated" here, in a seasonal song |
| 49% | HOOKING | 7 | A right-handers shot curving to the left in golf |
| 48% | TREY | 4 | Shot that made its N.B.A. debut in 1979, slangily |
| 48% | DRJ | 3 | Nickname in the N.B.A. |
| 48% | SHAQ | 4 | Nickname in the N.B.A. |
| 47% | LOSE | 4 | Not make it to the top three in a race, perhaps |
| 47% | WEB | 3 | "Step 2: Log in to the ___ and make a souvenir list!" |
| 47% | FLAGRANTFOUL | 12 | Reason for an ejection in the N.B.A. |
| 47% | REJUVENATE | 10 | Give a shot in the arm to |
| 47% | NETS | 4 | N.B.A. team that recently agreed to its first trade with the Knicks in over 40 years |
| 47% | SHORTY | 6 | Unlikely nickname in the N.B.A. |
| 47% | OTS | 3 | Exciting periods in the N.B.A. |
| 47% | QTR | 3 | 12 mins., in the N.B.A. |
| 47% | KAREEM | 6 | First name in the N.B.A. |
| 47% | TORONTORAPTORS | 14 | Canadian team in the N.B.A. |
| 47% | MIAMIHEAT | 9 | Southernmost team in the N.B.A. |
| 47% | QTRS | 4 | Periods in the N.B.A.: Abbr. |
| 47% | ALLSTARBREAK | 12 | "Time out" in the N.B.A. |
| 47% | KAREEM | 6 | First name in the N.B.A., once |
| 46% | RENO | 4 | Where the guy in "Folsom Prison Blues" shot a man, according to Cash |
| 46% | NOWYOUSEEITNOWYOUDONT | 21 | Magic words … or a hint to the other long answers in this puzzle |
| 46% | HOE | 3 | A tool used to make furrows in the ground while gardening |
| 46% | LLOYD | 5 | Earl ___, first African-American to play in the N.B.A. |
| 46% | MAV | 3 | Athlete in the N.B.A.'s Southwest Div. |
| 46% | SOS | 3 | Critical message that's a hint to the six longest entries in this puzzle |
| 45% | BUCKET | 6 | Too little to make any impact: "a drop in the __" |
| 45% | AIR | 3 | "Up in the ___" (George Clooney film with the tagline "The story of a man ready to make a connection") |