2016 wnba thread news notes picks !

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WNBA Capsules
May 15, 2016

NEW YORK (AP) Sugar Rodgers scored a career-best 24 points and Tina Charles added 24 to lead New York to a 79-71 victory over the Dallas Wings on Sunday in the Liberty's home opener Sunday night.

The Liberty (2-0) had the game's first 11 points, including the opening eight by Charles, who added 11 rebounds. They led by seven at the half before the Wings tied it at 43 early in the third quarter.

Dallas (1-1) couldn't ever take the lead and New York scored 13 of the next 17 points to take command. Rodgers hit six of her eight 3-point tries.

Amanda Zahui B. scored 10 points for New York. The Wings traded her to the Liberty on Wednesday for New York's first-round pick next year.

Dallas was without Skylar Diggins for the second straight game. She is still recovering from an ACL injury that forced her to miss most of last season.

Theresa Plaisance and Odyssey Sims had 14 points each to lead Dallas. Courtney Paris added 13 points and 12 rebounds.

SPARKS 96, STORM 66

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Candace Parker scored 34 points to spoil No. 1 overall pick Breanna Stewart's pro debut and Los Angeles beat Seattle in the WNBA opener for both teams.

Parker was 12 of 20 from the field with three 3-pointers, and had five rebounds, four assists and three steals.

Midway through the first, Stewart had her first WNBA basket on a driving layup, but the Sparks led 26-15 after the first. The former UConn star finished with 23 points to lead the Storm.

Seattle cut it to seven with 5:35 left in the half on Jewell Loyd's pull-up jumper, but the Sparks closed the half on a 19-3 run to take a 51-26 lead.

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2016 WNBA Win Totals

The WNBA season begins in May as the Minnesota Lynx look to win back-to-back championships for the first time in franchise history. The Lynx have won three titles, all coming on odd years (2011, 2013, 2015), most recently beating the Indiana Fever in five games.

A Western Conference squad has won the championship in seven of the past eight seasons, while five of the 12 teams in the league compiled at least 20 victories last season.

Sportsbook.ag released season win totals for all 12 clubs, as the Phoenix Mercury are expected to have the most victories, listed at 23 ½. The defending champion Lynx aren’t even listed second in the win total category, as the Chicago Sky’s victory total is set at 22 ½.

Minnesota and New York each sit at 21 ½ wins heading into the campaign as the Liberty has eclipsed this total just twice in the last 13 seasons.

Listed below are the standings from the 2015 season and the win totals for the upcoming 2016 campaign.

2015 WNBA Standings

Eastern Conference
New York 23-11
Chicago 21-13
Indiana 20-14
Washington 18-16
Atlanta 15-19
Connecticut 15-19

Western Conference
Minnesota 22-12
Phoenix 20-14
Tulsa* 18-16
Los Angeles 14-20
Seattle 10-24
San Antonio 8-26

* - Tulsa moved to Dallas for 2016 season

Atlanta Dream
Under 14.5 (-115)
Over 14.5 (-115)

Chicago Sky
Under 22.5 (-125)
Over 22.5 (-105)

Connecticut Sun
Under 14.5 (-125)
Over 14.5 (-105)

Dallas Wings
Under 15.5 (-115)
Over 15.5 (-115)

Indiana Fever
Under 17.5 (-120)
Over 17.5 (-110)

Los Angeles Sparks
Under 17.5 (-115)
Over 17.5 (-115)

Minnesota Lynx
Under 21.5 (-115)
Over 21.5 (-115)

New York Liberty
Under 21.5 (-115)
Over 21.5 (-115)

Phoenix Mercury
Under 23.5 (-110)
Over 23.5 (-120)

San Antonio Silver Stars
Under 7.5 (-115)
Over 7.5 (-115)

Seattle Storm
Under 11.5 (-115)
Over 11.5 (-115)

Washington Mystics
Under 17.5 (-115)
Over 17.5 (-115)

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Schedules

SCHEDULE FOR WEDNESDAY MAY 18, 2016

Time (ET) Away Home Site
12:30 PM Minnesota Lynx Chicago Sky Allstate Arena
7:00 PM Dallas Wings Washington Mystics Verizon Center
7:00 PM Phoenix Mercury Indiana Fever Bankers Life Fieldhouse


SCHEDULE FOR THURSDAY MAY 19, 2016
Time (ET) Away Home Site
12:00 PM Connecticut Sun San Antonio Stars Freeman Coliseum


SCHEDULE FOR FRIDAY MAY 20, 2016
Time (ET) Away Home Site
7:00 PM Atlanta Dream Indiana Fever Bankers Life Fieldhouse
7:00 PM Los Angeles Sparks Washington Mystics Verizon Center
10:00 PM Seattle Storm Phoenix Mercury Talking Stick Resort Arena


SCHEDULE FOR SATURDAY MAY 21, 2016
Time (ET) Away Home Site
6:00 PM Los Angeles Sparks New York Liberty Madison Square Garden
7:00 PM Washington Mystics Connecticut Sun Mohegan Sun Arena
8:30 PM San Antonio Stars Dallas Wings College Park Center


SCHEDULE FOR SUNDAY MAY 22, 2016
Time (ET) Away Home Site
3:00 PM Chicago Sky Atlanta Dream Philips Arena
7:00 PM Minnesota Lynx Seattle Storm KeyArena

Updated Mon May 16 12:04 PM EDT

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WNBA STANDINGS


EASTERN CONFERENCE

Team W L PCT GB CONF HOME ROAD L-10 STREAK

New York Liberty
2 0 1.000 0 1-0 1-0 1-0 2-0 W 2

Chicago Sky
1 0 1.000 0.5 1-0 1-0 0-0 1-0 W 1

Atlanta Dream
1 0 1.000 0.5 0-0 0-0 1-0 1-0 W 1

Indiana Fever
0 1 0.000 1.5 0-0 0-1 0-0 0-1 L 1

Washington Mystics
0 1 0.000 1.5 0-1 0-1 0-0 0-1 L 1

Connecticut Sun
0 1 0.000 1.5 0-1 0-0 0-1 0-1 L 1


WESTERN CONFERENCE

Team W L PCT GB CONF HOME ROAD L-10 STREAK

Los Angeles Sparks
1 0 1.000 0 1-0 1-0 0-0 1-0 W 1

Minnesota Lynx
1 0 1.000 0 1-0 1-0 0-0 1-0 W 1

Dallas Wings
1 1 0.500 0.5 0-0 0-0 1-1 1-1 L 1

San Antonio Stars
0 1 0.000 1 0-0 0-1 0-0 0-1 L 1

Phoenix Mercury
0 1 0.000 1 0-1 0-0 0-1 0-1 L 1

Seattle Storm
0 1 0.000 1 0-1 0-0 0-1 0-1 L 1

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wnba week # 1 results: 9 - 3

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Armadillo: Wednesday's six-pack

Odds on random football games this coming fall..........

-- Week 2: Colts @ Broncos (-4)

-- Week 3: Bears @ Cowboys (-6)

-- Week 4: Dolphins @ Bengals (-6.5)

-- Week 5: Giants @ Packers (-7)

-- Week 6: Falcons @ Seahawks (-9.5)

-- Week 7: Patriots @ Steelers (-1.5)

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Armadillo: Wednesday's List of 13: Good to be home after vacation......

13) 76ers won the NBA Draft Lottery, will probably take Ben Simmons, seeing as how coach Brett Brown coached Simmons' dad in Australia a long time ago.

12) Cavaliers 115, Raptors 84-- Cleveland is now 9-0 this postseason. Looks like the drama in this round will be in the series out west.

11) Warriors' Klay Thompson scored 25 points in first three quarters of Game 1 with the Thunder, but was scoreless in the fateful 4th quarter.

10) MLB suspended Rougned Odor eight games after Sunday's fight with Toronto, but because of a ridiculous appeal system MLB has, Odor is playing this week. Once the suspension is announced, the player should be suspended immediately. The way it is now, the player basically gets to choose when he is suspended.

9) Rays 12, Jays 2-- Toronto lost its last four games, was outscored 25-4 in the last two; they've also lost four in a row at home.

8) Indians 13, Reds 1-- Cincinnati reliever Stever Delabar issued four consecutive bases-loaded walks, first time a pitcher has done that.

7) Braves fired manager Fredi Gonzalez, then lost 12-9 to the Pirates, with one of its top pitching prospects giving up nine runs in less than two innings. No bueno.

6) Pirates gave catcher Dominic Cervelli $31M for three years, a sign of the ballclub's commitment to winning. Good for them.

5) Had great seats for the Marlins-Phillies game in Philly Monday night. Sat right next to ballgirl in right field. They don't have an easy job.

When the Phillies change pitchers, the ballgirl sprints out to the bullpen in centerfield to get the pitcher's jacket from the clubhouse attendant- they're not allowed to interact with the players directly. When the visiting team changes pitchers, the ballgirl down the leftfield line gets the jacket.

There are 22 ballgirls in Philly; they rotate between field duty and running the team's 50-50 raffle for charity and working in the team's recycling drive.

4) Restaurant recommendations: Crab Trap in Ocean City, NJ and the Anchorage Tavern in Somers Point, where I got a piece of chicken parm that looked like it could tip over Fred Flintstone's car.

3) A's 8, Rangers 5-- Khris Davis homered three times, the last one a walk-off grand slam to send everyone home happy. Oakland has won four of last five games since the epic pounding their pitching staff took in Boston last week.

2) Good to see Mets fans give Daniel Murphy an ovation on his return to Citi Field last night; he was my dad's favorite player and is hitting .399 this year.

1) My dad passed away a year ago today; I miss him a lot. Would be great to sit and watch a game with him one more time- he really loved baseball, especially the Mets.

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WNBA
Long Sheet

Wednesday, May 18

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MINNESOTA (29 - 15) at CHICAGO (22 - 15) - 5/18/2016, 12:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
MINNESOTA is 5-14 ATS (-10.4 Units) when playing with 3 or more days rest over the last 3 seasons.
MINNESOTA is 6-15 ATS (-10.5 Units) in road games after allowing 75 points or more over the last 3 seasons.
CHICAGO is 14-30 ATS (-19.0 Units) after scoring 75 points or more over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
MINNESOTA is 3-1 against the spread versus CHICAGO over the last 3 seasons
MINNESOTA is 3-1 straight up against CHICAGO over the last 3 seasons
3 of 4 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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PHOENIX (22 - 16) at INDIANA (26 - 19) - 5/18/2016, 7:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
PHOENIX is 13-24 ATS (-13.4 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
PHOENIX is 12-28 ATS (-18.8 Units) in May games since 1997.
PHOENIX is 2-10 ATS (-9.0 Units) against Eastern conference opponents over the last 2 seasons.
PHOENIX is 7-17 ATS (-11.7 Units) after a division game over the last 2 seasons.
PHOENIX is 2-10 ATS (-9.0 Units) in non-conference games over the last 2 seasons.
PHOENIX is 54-33 ATS (+17.7 Units) on Wednesday since 1997.

Head-to-Head Series History
INDIANA is 3-1 against the spread versus PHOENIX over the last 3 seasons
INDIANA is 2-2 straight up against PHOENIX over the last 3 seasons
3 of 4 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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DALLAS (18 - 18) at WASHINGTON (19 - 18) - 5/18/2016, 7:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
WASHINGTON is 279-335 ATS (-89.5 Units) in all games since 1997.
WASHINGTON is 31-49 ATS (-22.9 Units) as a home favorite of 3 points or less since 1997.
WASHINGTON is 31-52 ATS (-26.2 Units) in home games when playing with 3 or more days rest since 1997.
WASHINGTON is 167-213 ATS (-67.3 Units) after a division game since 1997.

Head-to-Head Series History
WASHINGTON is 2-1 against the spread versus DALLAS over the last 3 seasons
WASHINGTON is 3-1 straight up against DALLAS over the last 3 seasons
2 of 4 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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WNBA

Wednesday, May 18

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Trend Report
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12:30 PM
MINNESOTA vs. CHICAGO
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Minnesota's last 6 games when playing on the road against Chicago
The total has gone UNDER in 14 of Minnesota's last 21 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Chicago's last 5 games when playing Minnesota
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Chicago's last 6 games when playing at home against Minnesota

7:00 PM
PHOENIX vs. INDIANA
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Phoenix's last 6 games when playing on the road against Indiana
Phoenix is 5-11 SU in its last 16 games when playing on the road against Indiana
Indiana is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing Phoenix
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Indiana's last 6 games when playing Phoenix

7:00 PM
DALLAS vs. WASHINGTON
Dallas is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Washington
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Dallas's last 6 games when playing on the road against Washington
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Washington's last 6 games when playing at home against Dallas
Washington is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Dallas


WNBA
Dunkel

Wednesday, May 18


Minnesota @ Chicago

Game 601-602
May 18, 2016 @ 12:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Minnesota
115.225
Chicago
120.409
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Chicago
158
by 5
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Minnesota
by 2
164 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Chicago
(+2); Under

Phoenix @ Indiana

Game 603-604
May 18, 2016 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Phoenix
111.288
Indiana
117.799
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Indiana
153
by 6 1/2
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Phoenix
by 3
158 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Indiana
(+3); Under

Dallas @ Washington

Game 605-606
May 18, 2016 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Dallas
108.511
Washington
113.477
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Washington
161
by 5
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Washington
by 2 1/2
152
Dunkel Pick:
Washington
(-2 1/2); Over

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WNBA offering detailed box scores
May 16, 2016

NEW YORK (AP) The WNBA announced Monday that it will offer detailed box scores after each game. They will include such categories as effective field goal percentage, player impact estimate, true shooting percentage and defensive rating.

The box scores will be available on WNBA.com shortly after each game.

The league is also updating its archive with regular box scores from every game over its 20-year history. Currently every game since 2007 is available on the website. Soon every game from 1997-2006 will be added.

The league felt it was an important project with the league celebrating its 20th season. The WNBA has also launched a video vault that will feature highlights.

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WNBA Betting Recap: 5/14-5/15
May 17, 2016

League Betting Notes (Saturday, May 14 through Sunday, May 15)

-- Favorites went 6-1 straight up

-- Favorites went 6-1 against the spread (ATS)

-- Home teams posted a 4-3 SU record

-- Road teams posted a 4-3 ATS record

-- The 'over' went 4-3

Team & League Betting Notes

-- Six of the seven outcomes in the first weekend were decided by double digits.

-- The largest margin took place on Sunday May 15 with the Los Angeles Sparks dominating the Seattle Storm 96-66 in wire-to-wire fashion.

-- The New York Liberty opened the season with back-to-back victories, beating Washington 87-76 on the road before knocking off Dallas 79-71 at home.

-- The anticipated showdown between the defending WNBA champions Minnesota Lynx and Phoenix Mercury ended in a blowout. The Lynx hammered the Mercury 96-76 as a four-point home favorite and the ‘over’ (154) connected with help from a big first-half (94 points).

-- The Dallas Wings, formerly the Tulsa Shock, earned its first win of the season with a 90-79 victory on Saturday over Indiana. The Wings were the only underdog (+4) to cash over weekend.

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Preview: Lynx (1-0) at Sky (1-0)
Date: May 18, 2016 12:30 PM EDT

The Minnesota Lynx proved they've still got the hunger in their season opener, while the Chicago Sky showed they can indeed succeed without Elena Delle Donne.

Both look to build off impressive 2016 debuts in Wednesday's matchup at Allstate Arena, with Delle Donne expected to play after missing the opener with an illness.

Chicago didn't look at all short-handed with Delle Donne sidelined by a stomach virus, cruising to a 93-70 victory over visiting Connecticut on Saturday. The Sky offset the 2015 WNBA MVP's absence with a dominant defensive effort, holding the Sun to 18 points in the paint, and 33.8 percent shooting and scoring 20 points off 18 turnovers.

"A lot of good things, but a lot more to work on," coach Pokey Chatman said. "We've got an important game coming up on Wednesday, but overall pleased with the process and the outcome."

The performance was indeed encouraging considering Chicago's defensive issues last season and its past struggles with Delle Donne out of the lineup. The Sky went 6-12 in games the star forward missed with Lyme disease complications in 2014 and allowed 78.8 points per game - the league's second-highest mark - last season.

Wednesday's contest should provide more of an indicator of Chicago's progress on that end, as the defending champion Lynx possess considerably more established talent than the rebuilding Sun. That skill was fully on display in Saturday's 95-76 rout of rival Phoenix, regarded as perhaps the biggest threat to Minnesota's quest for a repeat.

The Lynx overcame a slow start to build a lead as high as 24, receiving 27 points and 10 assists from Maya Moore and 21 points on 10-of-15 shooting from Seimone Augustus. Sylvia Fowles added 17 points and 14 rebounds to help Minnesota own a 40-24 rebounding advantage and a 42-26 edge in points in the paint.

Minnesota, which downed Indiana in five games to claim its third WNBA title in five years in October, is attempting to become the first repeat champion since Los Angeles in 2002.

"We want to take advantage of the special group we have right now, and we want to make sure we show it every time we play," said Moore, whose 20.6 points per game last season trailed only Delle Donne's 23.4 for tops in the league. "I'm glad it translated into execution and defensive focus. There are still ways we can improve. But I'm glad we were able to start off Game 1, (the) home opener doing the things we've been talking about all through training camp."

The Lynx have won four of the last five meetings with the Sky but have lost three of four in Chicago, including a 90-83 defeat last season.

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Preview: Mercury (0-1) at Fever (0-1)
Date: May 18, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

The Indiana Fever swept two games from the Phoenix Mercury a season ago, although they didn't have to face Diana Taurasi.

Taurasi is now back for the visiting Mercury ahead of Wednesday night's contest against the Fever, who hope that guard Marissa Coleman makes her season debut in a matchup of teams coming off season-opening defeats.

Indiana had lost four straight to Phoenix before winning twice in 2015. The Fever took advantage of the absence of Taurasi and Brittney Griner in a 77-74 home win June 12 behind Tamika Catchings' 27 points and 13 boards before they led by as many as 23 in a 75-63 road victory Aug. 16.

Mercury star DeWanna Bonner totaled 21 points on 6-of-28 shooting in those games with Taurasi sitting out the season for rest.

Taurasi returned Saturday with a team-high 18 points in a 95-76 loss at Minnesota. She made 7 of 17 shots while Penny Taylor also returned with 13 points after the Australian forward also sat out 2015.

Those players are stars in overseas leagues along with Coleman, who hopes to be on the court after she wasn't ready to go for Saturday's 90-79 loss to Dallas. Coleman returned to practice Monday after finishing a season playing in Turkey.

"I haven't touched a basketball since last Sunday, I just want to make sure that hopefully Wednesday I'm ready to play," said Coleman, who was a WNBA All-Star for the first time in 2015.

Rookie Tiffany Mitchell scored 18 for Indiana and Erlana Larkins had 14 and 13 boards. Catchings struggled for six points on 2-of-9 shooting as the Fever were outscored by 14 in the second half.

"It was the first game, we haven't really built chemistry with each other yet but there were a few bright spots," Larkins said.

Larkins wasn't conceding anything as far as her matchup at center Wednesday with the intimidating Griner.

"You have to approach her just like you do anyone else," Larkins said. "I'm pretty much undersized so I just have to use my strength to my advantage and keep her out of the paint because she's really efficient around the basket."

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Wings-Mystics Preview


Both the Dallas Wings and Washington Mystics are attempting to navigate challenging opening stretches while awaiting the returns of key players.

The teams also enter Wednesday night's matchup seeking to bounce back from tough losses to the same opponent.

Dallas (1-1) got its new era off to a soaring start with Saturday's 90-79 win at defending Eastern Conference champion Indiana, a result made more impressive by the absences of Skylar Diggins and Glory Johnson. The Wings couldn't maintain the momentum in Sunday's visit to Madison Square Garden, falling behind by 16 points early and trailing throughout a 79-71 loss to the New York Liberty.

The Wings have one test remaining against another 2015 playoff participant before the relocated Tulsa Shock play their first game in their new home Saturday against San Antonio. They're also hoping for an imminent return from Diggins with the All-Star point guard in the latter stages of her comeback from July's ACL tear.

"Still working it out. I have to go by how she feels," coach Fred Williams said. "It's day-by-day with her. Being on the road, I want her to be at least 99 percent. Never going to rush an injury for a player to get back."

Dallas is also without Johnson, who is serving a seven-game suspension for a domestic violence incident involving Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner in April 2015. The two-time All-Star missed all of last season while pregnant with twins.

Washington is dealing with its own injury issues with Ivory Latta recovering from a knee procedure performed last month. The veteran guard averaged a team-high 13.4 points per game last season.

Latta's experience was missed down the stretch of Saturday's 87-76 home loss to the Liberty. After tying the game at 73 on Bria Hartley's three-point play with 2:39 left, the youthful Mystics missed their final five shots while outscored 14-3 thereafter.

"I thought that for playing seven to eight players, we were tired," coach Mike Thibault said. "Nobody is going to feel sorry for us. We are going to have to figure out a way to do a better job. We did a decent job on the defensive end but we didn't on the offensive end."

Hartley finished with 17 points and Tayler Hill had 20, but New York neutralized the frontcourt tandem of Emma Meesseman and Stefanie Dolson. The duo were held to a combined 15 points on 5-of-18 shooting as the Liberty recorded a 42-22 advantage in the paint.

Courtney Paris could give Washington further trouble after compiling 13 points on 6-of-9 shooting and 12 rebounds Sunday.

The Mystics have won five of six in the series but were dealt an 86-82 loss by Tulsa at Verizon Center last season.

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Delle Donne, Moore Go Head-To-Head For First Time In 2016 On Wednesday

May 17, 2016

The last two MVPs, last year’s top two leading scorers, and two members of the 2016 U.S. Olympic Women’s Basketball Team: that’s who will be squaring off tomorrow afternoon in Chicago when the Sky welcome the visiting Minnesota Lynx.

Elena Delle Donne and Maya Moore are two of the brightest stars the league, and Wednesday they’ll meet for the first time in the 2016 season.

Thanks to impressive wins on opening weekend, both teams will enter the game at 1-0. While Delle Donne missed the Sky’s opener due to an illness, Chicago ultimately cruised to a win over the Connecticut. As for Moore, she was in prime form against the Phoenix in the league’s showcase game on ESPN on Saturday night, dropping 27 points and dishing out a career-high 10 assists as the Lynx also pulled away for an easy win.

With Delle Donne and Moore going head to head, Wednesday’s matchup will have a primetime feel despite being played in the middle of the afternoon. Delle Donne, of course, is one of the most unique talents to ever play in the league. Her athleticism and ability to play both inside and outside have made her, at times, simply unguardable. Last season’s MVP campaign, in which she put up averages of 23.4 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks was one of the best in league history.


Moore, who won the MVP in 2014, put up 20.6 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 3.5 assists last season and might have come away with a second straight MVP if not for Delle Donne’s legendary year. Moore’s smooth jumper and indefatigable drive to win has helped her lead the Lynx to three titles in just five seasons. On the way to the third of those championships last season, she sunk an iconic buzzer beater on the road in Game 3 to help turn the series in Minnesota’s favor.

The Sky and Lynx split their two meetings last year, with each team winning at home. In those two games, the marquee stars came to play. EDD averaged 19 points and 9.5 rebounds a night, while Moore averaged 29.0 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 5.0 assists. Will the two stars live up to their reputations and deliver a brilliant matchup Wednesday afternoon? All signs point to yes, but you’ll have to tune-in to WNBA League Pass at 12:30 p.m. ET to find out for yourself.

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Armadillo: Thursday's six-pack

Westgate Superbook's odds on random football games this coming fall..........

-- Week 8: Packers (-3.5) @ Atlanta

-- Week 9: Broncos @ Oakland (-1.5)

-- Week 10: Seahawks @ New England (-3.5)

-- Week 11: Bears @ NJ Giants (-4)

-- Week 12: Vikings (-1) @ Detroit

-- Week 13: Colts @ NJ Jets (-2.5)

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Armadillo: Thursday's List of 13: Doing some thinking out loud......

13) Warriors 118, Thunder 91-- No one on Oklahoma City had more than 9 points, other than Durant/Westbrook. They need a third double figure scorer to compete.

12) Knicks are apparently going to name Jeff Hornacek head coach; good coach, good basketball guy, but kind of feel about him the same way I felt when the Mets hired Art Howe as manager-- not very New York-ish. Sometimes that matters.

11) Chicago White Sox turned their second triple play of the season last night; they are first team since '07 Phillies to turn two triple plays in same season.

10) A's 8, Rangers 1-- Khris Davis has nine HRs, 20 RBI in first 18 days of May.

9) NBA playoff favorites of 8+ points are 19-6 vs spread this season.

8) Why is the price of gasoline 45 cents a gallon cheaper in New Jersey than here in New York? Is Crhis Christie that good a governor that his constituents don't get ripped off like we do? By the way, in New Jersey they put the gas in your car for you.

7) NBA Summer League will be July 8-18 at UNLV and on TV every day on NBA TV. Solid entertainment; I'll be out there for the AAU tournaments later in the month.

6) Illinois got good news: big man Mike Thorne got a sixth year of eligibility from the NCAA, very important for John Groce's team.

5) More transfers, as number approaches 600 this year (there are 351 D-I teams):
-- Anthony Livingston goes from Arkansas State to Texas Tech.
-- Kendall Stephens goes from Purdue to Nevada

4) This will be the sixth NFL season for 49er QB Blaine Gabbert, who will have his sxith different head coach, sixth offensive coordinator, sixth QB coach. Oy.

3) Why would the Ravens intentionally break the NFL rule about not using full pads during rookie minicamps? Sounds like they did just that.

2) Minnesota Twins are 4-2 against the Cleveland Indians, 0-15 against the rest of the AL Central. No bueno. Minnesota is 5-12 in games where the winning run scores from the 7th inning on.

1) Werid story about Robert Griffin III and his relationship with his coaches in Washington; if that story is remotely true, Daniel Snyder is the worst owner in the NFL and the Browns may have made a colossal mistake acquiring RGIII, who appears to be a complete jerk if you believe the article, which is excerpted up above.

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WNBA
Long Sheet

Thursday, May 19

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CONNECTICUT (15 - 19) at SAN ANTONIO (8 - 26) - 5/19/2016, 12:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
SAN ANTONIO is 9-1 ATS (+7.9 Units) on Thursday over the last 3 seasons.
CONNECTICUT is 10-2 ATS (+7.8 Units) in road games against Western conference opponents over the last 3 seasons.
CONNECTICUT is 27-15 ATS (+10.5 Units) after a division game over the last 3 seasons.
CONNECTICUT is 10-2 ATS (+7.8 Units) in road games in non-conference games over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
CONNECTICUT is 3-1 against the spread versus SAN ANTONIO over the last 3 seasons
CONNECTICUT is 3-1 straight up against SAN ANTONIO over the last 3 seasons
3 of 4 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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WNBA

Thursday, May 19

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Trend Report
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12:00 PM
CONNECTICUT vs. SAN ANTONIO
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Connecticut's last 5 games on the road
Connecticut is 2-8 SU in its last 10 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of San Antonio's last 5 games
San Antonio is 1-11 SU in its last 12 games


WNBA
Dunkel

Thursday, May 19


Connecticut @ San Antonio

Game 651-652
May 19, 2016 @ 12:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Connecticut
103.901
San Antonio
109.328
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
San Antonio
by 5 1/2
154
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Connecticut
by 3 1/2
148 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
San Antonio
(+3 1/2); Over