The Bum's Sports Page For Wednesday July 8th Best Bets-Trends-News !

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The Astros lost, 5-4, in Boston yesterday, dropping their second straight game, and losing their third straight road series in the process. Houston is 12-12 in one-run contests this season (tied for 18th in MLB in such games).

Cleveland lost, 5-3, in Pittsburgh on Sunday, dropping its second straight game, and finishing up its 10-game road trip with a mark of 5-5. The Indians are just 7-33 when scoring three or fewer runs this season (31-10 in all other games).

The Indians took two of three from the Astros in these clubs' first meeting of the season at Minute Maid Park, holding Houston to just three runs total in those contests. Cleveland is 8-1 in its last nine meetings with the Astros at Progressive Field.

Dallas Keuchel pitched eight innings of shut-out ball last Tuesday vs. the Royals, and has now won each of his last two outings without allowing a single run in either outing. Keuchel is 2-0 with a 0.78 ERA in three career starts vs. the Indians.

Carlos Carrasco had his no-hitter broken up with two outs in the ninth inning last Wednesday in Tampa Bay, but still garnered the victory, and won his 10th game of the season -- tied with Dallas Keuchel and Felix Hernandez for most of any AL pitcher. Carrasco is 2-0 with a 0.42 ERA in three career starts against the Astros.

Jose Altuve was voted to start at shortstop for the AL in the 2015 All-Star Game, and will be participating in his third career Midsummer Classic on July 14 (also 2012 and 2014). Altuve is batting .365 during his current 13-game hitting streak -- the longest active hit streak of any AL player

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The Padres dropped a 3-1 decision in St. Louis yesterday, and have now scored one or fewer runs 22 times in 2015 -- most of any team in the majors. San Diego is just 7-13 in its last 20 contests (second-worst record in MLB since June 14).

Pittsburgh defeated Cleveland, 5-3, on Sunday, winning its second straight game, and for the fifth time in the last six contests overall. The Bucs are 29-12 (.707) in their last 41 games -- best in MLB since May 22.

The Friars and Pirates split four games in San Diego earlier this season (May 28-31), and are meeting for the final time of 2015 in this series. The Padres haven't lost a series in Pittsburgh since PNC Park opened in 2001 (33-12 all-time record at PNC Park).

James Shields went 6.2 innings and allowed just two runs (both earned) last Wednesday against the Mariners, but was saddled with a third straight loss for his efforts. Shields, who was 7-0 with a 3.59 ERA prior to his current losing skid, will be facing the Bucs for just the second time in his career tonight (6.0 IP, 2 ER, no-decision on May 29, 2015).

A.J. Burnett allowed two runs (both earned) in 7.0 IP last Wednesday in Detroit, beating the Tigers, and improving to 7-2 in his last 11 outings overall. Burnett has a 1.29 ERA at PNC Park this season -- the lowest home ERA among all qualifying NL pitchers in 2015.

Chris Stewart gave Francisco Cervelli a day off yesterday, and made the most of his opportunity to play by going 2-for-4, extending his hitting streak to four straight games. Pittsburgh's catchers have a .311 combined batting average in 2015 -- best of any team in the majors.

Notes Applicable For Series Dates: 7/6/2015 thru 7/8/2015

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The White Sox earned the series win against the Orioles over the weekend but could not complete a sweep, losing 9-1 Sunday. Chicago has now won back-to-back series (two-game sweep of St. Louis) for the first time since May 11-17 at Milwaukee and Oakland.

The Blue Jays avoided a three-game sweep at Detroit with a 10-5 victory yesterday. Toronto has scored 10 or more runs in 15 games this year -- easily the most in MLB (second most: Texas with eight).

Melky Cabrera doubled yesterday and now has seven extra-base hits in his last 12 games after tallying just eight extra-base hits in his first 66 games of 2015.

Jose Bautista hit his 17th home run of the season yesterday and has 10 homers since the start of June. He is one of just five MLB players with double-digit homers since June 1.

Chris Sale has struck out at least 10 batters in eight consecutive starts and nine total starts in 2015. His 12.28 strikeouts per nine innings is the highest strikeout rate prior to the All-Star break since 2001 -- Randy Johnson (13.70) and Pedro Martinez (13.02).

Mark Buehrle is facing his former team for the fourth time in his career and returns to Chicago for just the second time (also: August 16, 2014). Buehrle's 161 career wins with the White Sox are the sixth-most in franchise history.

Notes Applicable For Series Dates: 7/6/2015 thru 7/9/2015

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The Cubs beat the Marlins at home yesterday, 2-0, and have allowed two or fewer runs in each of their last six games (five total runs). It is Chicago's longest such streak since a six-game span in April of 2004.

The Cardinals earned a series split at home against San Diego with a 3-1 win Sunday. The Padres scored first in the game, so it was St. Louis' 25th comeback victory of 2015, most in MLB.

With one more double, Anthony Rizzo will become the second Cubs player with at least 25 doubles, 15 home runs and 10 stolen bases prior to the All-Star break since 1933 (the first year of the All-Star Game). The only other Cubs player to do so was Derrek Lee in 2005 (27 2B, 27 HR, 10 SB).

Tommy Phan drove in all three of the Cardinals' runs yesterday against the Padres, the first three RBI of his career. St. Louis has had 22 players record at least one RBI this year after having 25 players with an RBI in all of 2014.

Jon Lester is winless in his last eight starts despite recording five quality starts within that span. He has received only seven runs of support in those eight starts, including four starts with zero runs of support.

John Lackey owns a 9-3 (.750) career record against the NL Central, his best career winning percentage against a single division and the fifth-best career record by an active pitcher against the NL Central (minimum 10 decisions).

Notes Applicable For Series Dates: 7/6/2015 thru 7/7/2015

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The Royals split a four-game series at home against the Twins with walkoff wins Friday and Sunday by the same score, 3-2. Kansas City is now 10-7 (.588) in one-run games in 2015, the best winning percentage by an AL team in one-run games.

Tampa Bay snapped a season-high seven-game losing streak with an 8-1 victory at Yankee Stadium Sunday. It was the most runs scored in a game by the Rays since May 31 at Baltimore (nine).

Eric Hosmer doubled in the winning run in the bottom of the ninth yesterday. It was the second walkoff win by the Royals in 2015, and both walkoffs came in the series against Minnesota (Jarrod Dyson, July 3, fielder's choice).

Kevin Kiermaier matched a career high with his eighth triple of the season yesterday. He is just the second player in Tampa Bay history with at least eight triples before the All-Star break. He joined Carl Crawford, who did so four times from 2004 to 2007.

Edinson Volquez is undefeated in his last five starts, and the Royals have won 9 of his last 11 starts since May 7. His run support average in that span is 7.19, the highest among any of the Royals pitchers.

Tampa Bay has lost each of Alex Colome's last eight starts, tied for the longest active team losing streak for an AL starter with Hector Noesi of the White Sox (minimum one game started in 2015).

Notes Applicable For Series Dates: 7/6/2015 thru 7/9/2015

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Philadelphia won the season series between these teams last season, 4-3, with victories in three of its four trips to Los Angeles. These clubs will be meeting for the first time in 2015.

The Phillies saw their six game losing streak come to an end in a 4-0 victory over the Braves on Sunday. Philadelphia has won three of its last six road contests after winning just three of their previous 20 away from home.

The Dodgers have dropped two of their last three home games, scoring a total of just one run in their two losses in that span. The Dodgers' pitching staff boasts the third-best ERA in the majors this season at 3.30, while the Phillies own the second-worst mark at 4.60.

Sean O'Sullivan is 0-4 with a 6.80 ERA in his last eight starts and will be seeking his first victory since May 17. O'Sullivan will be making his first career start against the Dodgers.

Joc Pederson, who leads the Dodgers and all ML rookies with 20 home runs this season, has homered just three times in his last 29 games. Pederson has gone without a hit in four straight and six of his last eight contests overall.

Cesar Hernandez is hitting .476 (20-for-42) during his current career-high 10-game hitting streak and has produced eight multi-hit performances since June 22 -- tied with Prince Fielder and Adam Lind for the most in the majors in that span. Hernandez is hitless (0-for-8) in three career games against the Dodgers.

Notes Applicable For Series Dates: 7/6/2015 thru 7/9/2015

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Boston has won each of its last five games against the Marlins and leads the all-time series between these clubs, 20-10. These teams will be meeting for the first time since the 2012 campaign.

The Marlins have dropped each of their last two road games and have just two victories in their last 11 away from home. Miami is hitting .221 with runners in scoring position this season -- the third-lowest mark in the majors.

The Red Sox have won six of their last eight games overall, while posting at least 10 hits in each of their last four contests. The last time Boston had at least 10 hits in five consecutive contests was from June 21-26, 2013.

Wade Miley is 4-0 with a 2.20 ERA in his last four home starts, however, he is 1-1 with a 9.35 ERA in two interleague starts this season. Miley has a 0.99 ERA in four career starts against the Marlins (2-2 record) -- the lowest ERA in his career against any opponent.

Dan Haren is 0-3 with a 4.06 ERA in his last five starts and will be seeking his first victory since June 3. Haren, who will be facing Boston for the first time since 2011, has lost each of his last four meetings against them -- last defeating the Red Sox back in June of 2008.

Mookie Betts is hitting .419 (13-for-31) with four doubles, one triple, one homer and seven RBI during his current seven-game hitting streak. Betts has produced 11 multi-hit games since June 15 -- tied for the second-most in the majors in that span (Gerardo Parra, 13; Cesar Hernandez, 11).

Notes Applicable For Series Dates: 7/7/2015 thru 7/8/2015

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These teams have split their two matchups so far this season (both in Arizona). Texas has won nine of its last 10 home games against the Diamondbacks.

The Rangers have been outscored 55-19 during their current season-high six-game home losing streak. Texas is 4-2 in interleague play this season, while Arizona is 3-3.

The Diamondbacks have just two victories in their last seven road contests. Arizona has had at least 10 hits in seven consecutive games overall -- its second-longest such streak in franchise history (did so in 10 in a row back in September of 1999).

Yovani Gallardo is 4-0 with a 0.88 ERA in his last eight starts after going 3-6 with a 4.26 ERA in his first nine starts of the season. Gallardo is 7-1 with a 2.12 ERA in 11 career meetings with Arizona, however, his lone loss came against the Diamondbacks earlier this season.

Robbie Ray has lost each of his last three starts, posting a 4.58 ERA in those contests. Ray lost his only career start against the Rangers, allowing nine hits and seven runs in 3.1 innings back in May of 2014 (while playing for Detroit).

Paul Goldschmidt is hitting .446 (29-for-65) with six doubles, six homers and 16 RBI in his last 17 road contests. Goldschmidt is 1-for-6 with four strikeouts in his two meetings with the Rangers this season.

Notes Applicable For Series Dates: 7/7/2015 thru 7/8/2015

[StarDust Bum]

These clubs will be meeting for the third time this season, with the Angels winning each of the first two matchups. The Angels have seven of their last eight games overall and will be looking to extend their current win streak to four in a row.

The Rockies have lost seven consecutive games against the Angels -- their longest active losing streak against any opponent. The Angels' seven game winning streak against Colorado is tied for their second-longest active winning streak versus any foe.

The Angels have scored at least 10 runs in each of their last two contests (25 total runs) and will be looking to do so in three consecutive contests for the first time since July 31-August 2, 2009.

Andrew Heaney will be making his eighth career ML start and third of 2015. Heaney, who has allowed just six hits and two runs in 13.0 innings this season, will be facing Colorado for the first time.

Chad Bettis is 0-3 with a 6.75 ERA in three career interleague starts, including losses in each of his two outings in IL play so far in 2015. Bettis will be facing the Angels for the first time in his career.

Charlie Blackmon is hitting .382 with six doubles, one triple, one homer and 10 RBI during his current 16-game home hitting streak -- the longest home hitting streak of his career. Blackmon is 0-for-4 in two meetings with the Angels this season.

Notes Applicable For Series Dates: 7/7/2015 thru 7/8/2015

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Storm (3-9) at Fever (5-6)

Date: July 08, 2015 12:00 PM EDT

The Indiana Fever feel they played their best all-around game of the season to kick off a four-game homestand.

It won't mean much if they don't build on it, though.

Indiana seeks a third consecutive win as it faces the struggling Seattle Storm on Wednesday.

The Fever (5-6) earned a wild 92-84 victory over Connecticut on June 30 to snap a two-game skid, but coach Stephanie White was far more impressed after Thursday's 73-50 win over Washington.

Indiana allowed its fewest points since September 2012 and forced 18 turnovers while holding the Mystics to 29.3 percent shooting. Shenise Johnson scored a season-best 16 points and added a career-high 11 rebounds to complement Tamika Catchings' 15-point, seven-board, five-assist effort.

The Fever shot 50 percent and committed a season-low eight turnovers.

"My challenge to our team was to compete at a high level, execute at a high level, for 40 minutes," White told the team's official website after her team snapped a three-game home losing streak. "I felt like we did that. There's no question that we took a huge step forward.

"Now, we just have to maintain that."

Indiana's wire-to-wire effort contrasts with Seattle's late-starting performance in Sunday's 72-64 loss to Atlanta. The Storm trailed by 15 late in the third quarter before cutting the deficit to one on a 3-pointer from Alysha Clark with 2:11 remaining in the game.

Seattle (3-9) collapsed down the stretch and suffered its seventh defeat in eight games. Sue Bird finished with 11 points but shot 4 of 15 from the field, and Crystal Langhorne fouled out with five points - less than half her season average.

"I think overall as a team we were Jekyll and Hyde; for the first three quarters just not so good and just really lacking energy," Bird told the club's official website.

Jewell Loyd, the No. 1 overall pick in this year's draft, scored a team-high 12 points. She's averaging 13.3 over her last four despite coming off the bench.

"We're still learning and still growing and still developing as a team," Loyd said. "You want to get better every game, so hopefully we'll figure out what's wrong and execute it."

Bird's Jekyll and Hyde reference also relates to the Storm's last two games and explains the growing pains mentioned by Loyd. Seattle trailed defending champion Minnesota by one at halftime on Friday before being outscored 25-10 in the third en route to an 82-57 defeat.

The Storm, the league's lowest-scoring team at 68.4 points per game, hope for a more complete effort against the Fever, who average 77.8 points to rank third in the WNBA.

Indiana has won three of four matchups over the last two seasons. Catchings had 16 points while Bird and Langhorne had just eight apiece in the Fever's 76-67 victory in the last meeting July 31.


WNBA HEAD TO HEAD

Jul 31, 2014 Score ATS Results
IND « 76 Cover: 6
SEA 67 Over: 143
Tools: Recaps

Jun 11, 2014 Score ATS Results
SEA 68 Over: 144
IND « 76 Cover: 1.5
Tools: Recaps

[StarDust Bum]

Sparks-Stars Preview

The Los Angeles Sparks ended the worst start in franchise history with a win over the San Antonio Stars last week and since have continued to play well behind Nneka Ogwumike and Kristi Toliver.

San Antonio has had five days to think about what went wrong in that matchup.

The Sparks seek a third victory in four tries as they visit the Stars on Wednesday night.

Los Angeles lost its first seven games with star Candace Parker sitting out to rest and Toliver missing the first six while playing for the Slovak Republic at the EuroBasket 2015 tournament.

Ogwumike scored a season-high 27 points, Jantel Lavender had 21 and 10 rebounds while Toliver added 15 in Thursday's 86-81 win over the Stars (2-8) before Toliver dropped a franchise-record 43 in a 98-95 victory over Tulsa the following day.

The Sparks played another tough contest Sunday but fell 94-91 to Phoenix on a 3-pointer with 3.9 seconds remaining despite Ogwumike's 26 points and season-high 19 rebounds. Toliver finished with 16 and is averaging 26.0 while shooting 56.5 percent in four games since returning.

Now Los Angeles looks to bounce back with another win over San Antonio, which hasn't played since the last meeting. Rookie Dearica Hamby had a season-high 19 points, Sophia Young-Malcolm added 18 and WNBA assists leader Danielle Robinson had 13 to go along with 12 points.

The Stars led by 10 after the first quarter, but they were outscored by a combined 18 in the second and fourth.

"It went back-and-forth. Offensively, both teams were very efficient," coach Dan Hughes said. "It was a good basketball game and Los Angeles made the plays that were the difference in the game."

Possibly the most encouraging aspect for Hughes was another strong effort from Young-Malcolm, who has started the last five games as Jayne Appel recovers from an injury to her mouth.

Young-Malcolm is averaging 15.8 points in those contests with the Stars going 2-3 after scoring more than that just once as they went 0-5 with her coming off the bench.

San Antonio added some backcourt depth Sunday, acquiring guard Samantha Logic from Atlanta for a second-round pick in next year's draft. Logic was the No. 10 pick in this year's draft but couldn't find consistent playing time with the Dream, averaging 5.8 minutes in four games.

Logic, who likely will backup Robinson, became the only player in NCAA history with 1,500 points, 900 rebounds, 800 assists and 200 steals in four years at Iowa.

The Stars waived little-used Brittany Hrynko to make room for Logic.

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WNBA
Dunkel

Wednesday, July 8


Seattle @ Indiana

Game 601-602
July 8, 2015 @ 12:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Seattle
104.559
Indiana
108.034
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Indiana
by 3 1/2
144
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Indiana
by 6 1/2
149 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Seattle
(+6 1/2); Under

Los Angeles @ San Antonio

Game 603-604
July 8, 2015 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Los Angeles
105.114
San Antonio
109.258
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
San Antonio
by 4
148
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Los Angeles
by 2 1/2
155 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
San Antonio
(+2 1/2); Under




WNBA

Wednesday, July 8

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Trend Report
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12:00 PM
SEATTLE vs. INDIANA
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Seattle's last 5 games when playing on the road against Indiana
Seattle is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games when playing Indiana
Indiana is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing Seattle
Indiana is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games at home

8:00 PM
LOS ANGELES vs. SAN ANTONIO
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Los Angeles's last 5 games
Los Angeles is 3-8 ATS in its last 11 games
San Antonio is 2-10 SU in its last 12 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of San Antonio's last 5 games

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WNBA Basketball Trend Report


SEATTLE (3 - 9) at INDIANA (5 - 6) - 7/8/2015, 12:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.

SEATTLE is 2-11 ATS (-10.1 Units) in July games over the last 2 seasons.
SEATTLE is 15-25 ATS (-12.5 Units) in May, June, or July games over the last 2 seasons.
SEATTLE is 7-19 ATS (-13.9 Units) in road games on Wednesday since 1997.
SEATTLE is 9-21 ATS (-14.1 Units) in road games after 3 or more consecutive unders since 1997.
SEATTLE is 96-66 ATS (+23.4 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 77+ points/game since 1997.

Head-to-Head Series History

INDIANA is 3-1 against the spread versus SEATTLE over the last 3 seasons
INDIANA is 3-1 straight up against SEATTLE over the last 3 seasons
3 of 4 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons


LOS ANGELES (2 - 8) at SAN ANTONIO (2 - 8) - 7/8/2015, 8:05 PM

Top Trends for this game.

LOS ANGELES is 32-51 ATS (-24.1 Units) in all games over the last 3 seasons.
LOS ANGELES is 22-38 ATS (-19.8 Units) as a favorite over the last 3 seasons.
LOS ANGELES is 21-34 ATS (-16.4 Units) in May, June, or July games over the last 3 seasons.
LOS ANGELES is 18-34 ATS (-19.4 Units) after a division game over the last 3 seasons.
LOS ANGELES is 24-46 ATS (-26.6 Units) after 3 or more consecutive overs since 1997.
LOS ANGELES is 19-32 ATS (-16.2 Units) after scoring 75 points or more over the last 3 seasons.
LOS ANGELES is 120-154 ATS (-49.4 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record since 1997.
LOS ANGELES is 5-13 ATS (-9.3 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 77+ points/game over the last 2 seasons.
SAN ANTONIO is 5-13 ATS (-9.3 Units) in home games in May, June, or July games over the last 2 seasons.
SAN ANTONIO is 3-11 ATS (-9.1 Units) in home games after scoring 75 points or more over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History

SAN ANTONIO is 5-4 against the spread versus LOS ANGELES over the last 3 seasons
LOS ANGELES is 5-4 straight up against SAN ANTONIO over the last 3 seasons
6 of 9 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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Standings

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Team Win Loss Percent GB Home Away Conf. Last 10 Streak

Connecticut Sun 7 2 .778 0 3-2 4-0 3-2 7-2 L-1

Washington Mystics 6 3 .667 1 3-2 3-1 5-2 6-3 W-1

New York Liberty 6 4 .600 1.5 4-2 2-2 4-3 6-4 W-2

Chicago Sky 5 5 .500 2.5 2-1 3-4 4-4 5-5 L-2

Atlanta Dream 4 6 .400 3.5 3-3 1-3 3-6 4-6 W-1

Indiana Fever 4 6 .400 3.5 1-4 3-2 3-5 4-6 W-1

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Team Win Loss Percent GB Home Away Conf. Last 10 Streak

Tulsa Shock 8 2 .800 0 5-0 3-2 5-2 8-2 L-1

Minnesota Lynx 7 2 .778 .5 3-1 4-1 6-2 7-2 W-2

Phoenix Mercury 4 5 .444 3.5 3-1 1-4 4-2 4-5 W-1

Seattle Storm 3 7 .300 5 2-3 1-4 3-6 3-7 W-1

San Antonio Stars 2 7 .222 5.5 2-3 0-4 2-5 2-7 L-1

Los Angeles Sparks 0 7 .000 6.5 0-3 0-4 0-3 0-7 L-7

Updated Wed Jul 1 12:06 AM EDT

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WNBA Betting Recap - 6/29-7/5

July 5, 2015

League Betting Notes (from Monday, June 29 through Sunday, July 5)

-- Favorites went 8-4 straight up
-- Underdogs went 8-3-1 against the spread (ATS)
-- Home teams posted a 8-4 SU record
-- Home teams posted a 7-4-1 ATS record
-- The 'over/under' went 6-6

Team Betting Notes

-- 'Dogs were barking hard in the WNBA for the fifth consecutive week. Underdogs were 8-3-1 ATS in Week 5, after going 8-5 ATS in Week 4, 8-7 ATS in Week 3, 10-4 ATS in Week 2 and 5-4-1 ATS in Week 1. If you're doing the math, that's 39-23-2 (or 69.2 percent) through 54 WNBA games.

-- Don't look now, but Phoenix (6-5) is starting to piece it together after a sluggish start. The Mercury started 3-5 (including 3-4 without superstar Brittney Griner), but they have rattled off three straight wins. Still, the Mercury has managed to cover just once in the past five games, narrowly missing a cover (-3.5 points) in a 94-91 overtime win at Los Angeles (2-8).

-- The Sparks have stumbled out of the gate, although they have showed signs of life with a 2-1 SU week. Still, the Sparks are a dismal 3-6-1 ATS overall. If you really want consistency, take the 'over' in Sparks games. It has cashed in seven straight outings heading into Wednesday's road game at San Antonio.

-- Speaking of San Antonio (2-8), the Stars were back to their losing ways going 0-2 SU/1-0-1 ATS this week after going unbeaten in the previous week of play. One interesting trend is that the 'under' hit in each of the first five for San Antonio, but the 'over' has connected in each of their past three.

-- Atlanta (5-6) won and covered against Seattle (3-9), marking just the second time all season the Dream has won back-to-back games. Atlanta is also on a season-best 3-0 ATS streak heading into Tuesday's game against Tulsa.

-- Tulsa (8-1) had a terrible week, going 0-3 SU/1-2 ATS after an amazing 8-0 ATS run to open the season. The Shock look to get back on track Tuesday in Atlanta, but as mentioned the Dream is in the midst of a season-best 3-0 ATS run. To make matters worse for the Shock, they'll be without star guard Skylar Diggins for at least two more games due to a knee injury.

-- Like the Shock, Connecticut (7-3) started the season on fire but have hit the skids. After a 7-0 ATS run to kick off the season the Sun is 1-2 ATS over their past three games overall.

-- Chicago (6-5) split their games straight up in the past week, but they continue to have trouble against the number. They went 0-2 ATS, failing to cover in three straight overall, and they're 4-7 ATS in 11 games this season.

-- New York (6-4) won their only game of the week, and they have now covered two in a row. Overall, the Liberty has managed an impressive 7-3 ATS run to open the season.

-- Indiana (5-6) is playing its best basketball of the season, winning and covering back-to-back games for just the second time this year. The Fever opened 2-7 ATS, but they look for a third straight cover Wednesday at home against the Storm.