Detective Dunkwell explained to the scientists that creating a timeline was an essential first step in the process of solving a case.

Barry Bounce noted that the time was now 1 PM, and the basketballs were stolen earlier this morning.

Elaine Elastic, another scientist, suggested that they take a look at the schedule for the day. If the balls were stolen in the morning, who would have been available to take them? Given the quantity of basketballs, it would have taken some time.

"Ahaha!" interjected Steve Stretch, another passionate scientist. "The spectators and players of the teams scheduled to play this morning would have been busy either playing or watching the game. They would not have had time to steal the balls."

"Great work!" exclaimed Detective Dunkwell. "Let's see if we can find some other clues."