2016 wnba thread news notes picks !

[StarDust Bum]

WNBA BEST BET RECORD:

09/04 RECORD: 8 - 2

WLT PCT UNITS

ATS Picks 76-75-3 50.33% -3250

O/U Picks 76-78-0 49.35% -4900

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WNBA Betting Recap - 8/29-9/4
September 6, 2016

League Betting Notes (Monday, Aug. 29 through Sunday, Sept. 4)

-- Favorites went 11-4 straight up (SU)

-- Underdogs went 8-7 against the spread (ATS)

-- Home teams posted a 10-5 SU record

-- Home teams posted a 8-7 ATS record

-- The 'over' went 9-6


Team Betting Notes

-- Los Angeles (24-5) had a bit of a rough patch after the Olympics, but they rebounded nicely in the past week with a 3-0 SU record. Still, they're having difficulty against the number, going just 1-2 ATS in the past week, and 2-7 ATS over the past nine.

-- Phoenix (13-16) looked like they might be piecing together a hot streak, but they dropped each of their past two road outings and failed to cover in each. The Mercury have dropped four of their past five on the road while going 2-3 ATS during the span. Their road trip concludes in Atlanta (14-13) Tuesday. They won in Atlanta back on July 3 by a 95-87, covering as two-point favorites.

-- Chicago (15-13) continues to improve, winning for the fourth straight game, and seventh time in eight outings. The Sky has posted 90 or more points in each of their past four wins, and the 'over' has connected in five in a row. Chicago is 6-2 ATS over their past eight heading into their game Wednesday in D.C.

-- Minnesota (24-5) won each of their home games, splitting against the number. The Lynx are just 7-9 ATS over their past 16 games, and they're 9-7 ATS in 16 games this season as a double-digit favorite.

-- The Lynx cooled off Connecticut (11-18). Despite the fact the Sun are seven games under .500 overall, they're 4-3 SU and 5-2 ATS over their past seven road outings. They're back on the road Friday in New York (20-9). In the two previous meetings the Sun is 2-0 SU and 1-1 ATS against the Liberty.

-- Seattle (12-17) might not have the best overall record, but the Storm has been a bettor's favorite at the window lately. The Storm is 6-1 ATS over their past seven outings, and they're 5-1 ATS over their past six road games. They continue their road trip Wednesday in New York.

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Armadillo: Tuesday's six-pack

Has any NFL season ever started with so many ???’s at quarterback?

— Sam Bradford/Shaun Hill are splitting 1st team reps in Minnesota this week; hard to believe Hill won’t start, at least for this week.

— Rookie Carson Wentz is starting for Philly, even though he hardly played in preseason games. Think LeBeau’s defense will blitz?

— Jimmy Garoppolo is starting for the first time for the Patriots.

— Rookie Dak Prescott is starting for the Cowboys.

— Trevor Siemian gets his first career start for Denver; his backup is rookie Paxton Lynch.

— Robert Griffin III, Brock Osweiler’s debuts with their new teams will be overshadowed by the other QB dilemmas.

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Armadillo: Tuesday's List of 13: Nobody asked me, but……..

13) If I was a bigtime college football coach, we’d run a traditional pro offense and use that as a recruiting tool to get good QBs. Why would a kid with NFL aspirations play in a program that doesn’t huddle or take snaps from center? It makes very little sense.

12) Funny how college teams play very entertaining Week 1 games, despite not playing any preseason games. I can see the NFL going to an 18-game regular season with no preseason games and the Super Bowl the Sunday night of Presidents’ Day weekend.

11) Texas 50, Notre Dame 47 OT– Juggling QBs is a dangerous game for coaches; one runs, one passes- you better win, or else. Having a running QB really helps around the goal line. Very fun game to watch, but if you score 47 points and lose to a team primarily playing a freshman QB (even a really good one) your defense is not good.

10) Speaking of which, Texas freshman QB Shane Buechele is the son of former big league 3B Steve Buechele, who hit 137 homers in 11 years for three teams, mostly the Rangers.

9) South Alabama missed two easy FGs in their 21-20 upset win at Miss State; each miss hit an upright. Then the Bulldogs’ game-winning FG try also hit the same goal post (left upright) and USA went home happy. Horrific loss for Miss State, especially when they led 17-0 at the half.

8) Is there spying in college football? Clemson got a “tip” (Dabo Swinney is an Alabama grad) that Auburn might use the old Wing-T offense, but the Clemson DC had no clue how to defense the Wing-T, so he googled it on the Interweb. Whatever he found worked; Auburn ran the ball for only 87 yards.

7) Chicago Bears cut longtime kicker Robbie Gould, who has spent his entire 11-year career in the Windy City.

6) Another dumb college football rule: Player has to leave the game for a play if his helmet comes off. What if the QB’s helmet comes off on 3rd down on the last drive of the game? He has to come out for the deciding play of the game? Ludicrous rule.

5) How will USC bounce back this week after its 52-6 beatdown by Alabama? It is only one game, but it was one ugly game. Trojans play Utah State this week, then visit Stanford, Utah the next two weeks after that. Uh-oh.

4) Wondering how Mark McGwire/Barry Bonds are enjoying coaching in the big leagues; funny how the media doesn’t seem to bother them- you never hear about them.

3) Waldron HS in Arkansas won its season opener 45-0 this year, ending a 43-game losing streak. Who did they beat? Have to feel good for kids who played their whole varsity career without ever winning a game.

2) Mets played Sunday night at home on ESPN, then had a 1pm game Monday in Cincinnati, in some of the dumbest scheduling ever. If TV is going to play with the schedule, then MLB has to step in and make the Reds have a night game Monday. No team should have to play a night game, then travel and play a day game less than 16 hours later.

1– Rookie QB Carson Wentz gets the start for the Eagles Sunday; of the last 24 QBs drafted in the first round, Wentz will be the 14th to start in Week 1. Of those 24 QBs, Aaron Rodgers (49th game), Philip Rivers (33rd game) waited the longest to start, but they started their careers backing up Brett Favre, Drew Brees.

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B]WNBA
Dunkel

Tuesday, September 6

Phoenix @ Atlanta[/B]

Game 601-602
September 6, 2016 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Phoenix
112.884
Atlanta
107.462
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Phoenix
by 5 1/2
165
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Phoenix
by 2 1/2
169 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Phoenix
(-2 1/2); Under

Indiana @ San Antonio

Game 603-604
September 6, 2016 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Indiana
110.335
San Antonio
104,795
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Indiana
by 5 1/2
160
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Indiana
by 8
153
Dunkel Pick:
San Antonio
(+8); Over

Minnesota @ Los Angeles

Game 605-606
September 6, 2016 @ 10:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Minnesota
117.551
Los Angeles
116.045
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Minnesota
by 1 1/2
166
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Los Angeles
by 2 1/2
159 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Minnesota
(+2 1/2); Over




WNBA

Tuesday, September 6

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Trend Report
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7:00 PM
PHOENIX vs. ATLANTA
The total has gone OVER in 10 of Phoenix's last 14 games on the road
Phoenix is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Atlanta is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 10 of Atlanta's last 12 games at home

8:00 PM
INDIANA vs. SAN ANTONIO
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Indiana's last 7 games on the road
Indiana is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of San Antonio's last 12 games when playing at home against Indiana
The total has gone OVER in 4 of San Antonio's last 6 games

10:00 PM
MINNESOTA vs. LOS ANGELES
Minnesota is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Los Angeles
Minnesota is 7-18 SU in its last 25 games when playing on the road against Los Angeles
Los Angeles is 4-9 SU in its last 13 games when playing Minnesota
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Los Angeles's last 10 games when playing at home against Minnesota

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WNBA
Long Sheet

Tuesday, September 6

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PHOENIX (13 - 16) at ATLANTA (14 - 14) - 9/6/2016, 7:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
PHOENIX is 26-39 ATS (-16.9 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
PHOENIX is 16-30 ATS (-17.0 Units) as a favorite over the last 2 seasons.
PHOENIX is 2-10 ATS (-9.0 Units) on Tuesday over the last 2 seasons.
PHOENIX is 9-19 ATS (-11.9 Units) against Eastern conference opponents over the last 2 seasons.
PHOENIX is 9-19 ATS (-11.9 Units) in non-conference games over the last 2 seasons.
PHOENIX is 12-22 ATS (-12.2 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 77+ points/game over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
ATLANTA is 4-1 against the spread versus PHOENIX over the last 3 seasons
PHOENIX is 4-1 straight up against ATLANTA over the last 3 seasons
3 of 5 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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INDIANA (13 - 15) at SAN ANTONIO (6 - 22) - 9/6/2016, 8:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
SAN ANTONIO is 13-5 ATS (+7.5 Units) after allowing 75 points or more this season.
INDIANA is 37-19 ATS (+16.1 Units) in road games over the last 3 seasons.
INDIANA is 20-9 ATS (+10.1 Units) in a road game where where the total is greater than or equal to 150 over the last 2 seasons.
INDIANA is 7-1 ATS (+5.9 Units) in road games against Western conference opponents this season.
INDIANA is 7-1 ATS (+5.9 Units) in road games in non-conference games this season.
INDIANA is 17-6 ATS (+10.4 Units) revenging a home loss versus opponent over the last 3 seasons.
INDIANA is 34-17 ATS (+15.3 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent over the last 3 seasons.
INDIANA is 14-7 ATS (+6.3 Units) after allowing 75 points or more this season.
INDIANA is 17-6 ATS (+10.4 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 3 seasons.
INDIANA is 13-3 ATS (+9.7 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a losing record after 15+ games after 15+ games over the last 3 seasons.
SAN ANTONIO is 13-27 ATS (-16.7 Units) in home games on Tuesday since 1997.

Head-to-Head Series History
SAN ANTONIO is 4-2 against the spread versus INDIANA over the last 3 seasons
SAN ANTONIO is 3-3 straight up against INDIANA over the last 3 seasons
3 of 6 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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MINNESOTA (24 - 5) at LOS ANGELES (24 - 5) - 9/6/2016, 10:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
MINNESOTA is 9-19 ATS (-11.9 Units) in road games after allowing 75 points or more over the last 3 seasons.
MINNESOTA is 12-30 ATS (-21.0 Units) after playing 3 consecutive home games since 1997.
LOS ANGELES is 28-43 ATS (-19.3 Units) as a favorite over the last 3 seasons.
LOS ANGELES is 16-33 ATS (-20.3 Units) in home games over the last 3 seasons.
LOS ANGELES is 52-83 ATS (-39.3 Units) in a home game where where the total is greater than or equal to 150 since 1997.
LOS ANGELES is 27-45 ATS (-22.5 Units) in home games on Tuesday since 1997.
LOS ANGELES is 162-206 ATS (-64.6 Units) after scoring 75 points or more since 1997.

Head-to-Head Series History
MINNESOTA is 7-6 against the spread versus LOS ANGELES over the last 3 seasons
MINNESOTA is 9-4 straight up against LOS ANGELES over the last 3 seasons
8 of 13 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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Preview: Mercury (13-16) at Dream (14-14)
Date: September 06, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

The regular-season finish line is in sight and teams are jockeying for a spot in the postseason.

Atlanta (14-14) isn't a lock for the playoffs, but the Dream are in decent shape. The same can't be said for the Phoenix Mercury (13-16), who sit precariously in the seventh playoff spot.

The Mercury have underachieved after being picked by league general managers in a preseason poll as the team to beat this season.

But Phoenix can take a big step toward living up to the hype when the Mercury travel Tuesday to Phillips Arena in Atlanta to take on the Dream in a 7 p.m. EDT game that could go a long way in determining each team's postseason fate.

And despite their record, the Mercury remain a confident bunch. Coming out of the Summer Olympics break, Phoenix reeled off three straight impressive wins with a dominating defense.

But the past two games their defense has regressed, giving up 87 and 92 points in losses.

The Mercury's high-powered offense isn't the problem at 84.5 points per game. It's the defense that allows 84.4 points per game that has cost Phoenix a chance to move up in the standings.

The Heat have their own defensive problems as they allow 83.7 points per game.

The Dream hosted the Mercury on July 3 in the only meeting this season of the teams. Brittney Griner dominated with 27 points and 10 rebounds as the Mercury waltzed out of Atlanta with a 95-87 victory.

If the Dream are going avenge that loss, they will have to find a way to stop Griner.

The Dream also will need their supporting cast to step up. In the first meeting, Tiffany Hayes and Angel McCoughtry combined for 48 points, but that wasn't enough.

In their last game, McCoughtry and Hayes combined for 52 points against Seattle on Sunday. But the Dream dug a hole too deep to climb out -- they trailed by 24 heading into the fourth quarter -- and dropped a 92-81 decision to the Storm.

In their last game, the Mercury met up with a buzz-saw otherwise known as Tina Charles and the New York Liberty. Once Charles got going, it was pretty much lights out as Phoenix lost by 22.

Griner was a nonfactor in that game, scoring two points in 23 minutes.

The two teams won't have to wait long to meet for a third time this season. Atlanta travels to Phoenix for another crucial game on Sunday.

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Preview: Fever (13-15) at Stars (6-22)
Date: September 06, 2016 8:00 PM EDT

The Indiana Fever have struggled since the WNBA returned from a monthlong break for the Rio Summer Olympics and pull into the Alamo City for a game against the San Antonio Stars on Tuesday sorely in need of a win to right the ship and help them secure a playoff spot.

The Fever (13-15) can't afford to falter against the WNBA's worst team. Indiana has now lost three of its last four, including an 88-81 road defeat at the hands of league-co-leader Los Angeles on Sunday.

Indiana has landed a spot in the playoffs for a record 11 consecutive postseasons and holds the sixth spot in the new-look WNBA playoffs, in which the top eight teams, regardless of conference, qualify for the postseason. But Phoenix is just a half-game back.

Indiana, usually so strong at the end of the season, has not been mentally sharp in its three post-Olympic losses, including in Los Angeles, where it was down by 20 in the fourth quarter before rallying to make things respectable. Erica Wheeler scored a career-high 20 points for the Fever in the loss.

"I was proud of how hard we worked, proud of how we fought," Fever coach Stephanie White said. "But in this league, you can't have breakdowns. We had a lot of mental breakdowns on defense, and L.A. didn't let us get anything clean on the offensive end."

The two teams have split their games this season, with Indiana winning 84-75 on June 17 in San Antonio and the Stars posting an 87-85 victory on July 1 in Indianapolis.

San Antonio comes into the game with a 6-22 record and is the only team in the league so far that has been eliminated from the playoffs.

The Stars have lost three straight and nine of their last 10 games, including a 97-73 home loss to Chicago on Sunday. San Antonio still has not won back-to-back games this season. It has six games left on the schedule to make something of a lost campaign.


WNBA HEAD TO HEAD

Jul 1, 2016 Score ATS Results
SA « 87 Cover: 11
IND 85 Over: 172
Tools: Recaps

Jun 17, 2016 Score ATS Results
IND « 84 Cover: 4
SA 75 Over: 159
Tools: Recaps

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Lynx (24-5) at Sparks (24-5)
Date: September 06, 2016 10:00 PM EDT

The top two teams in the WNBA will battle for sole possession of first place in the Western Conference when the Los Angeles Sparks play host to the Minnesota Lynx on Tuesday night at Staples Center in Los Angeles.

Los Angeles (24-5) and Minnesota (24-5) are tied atop the Western Conference standings, 11 games ahead of the third-place Phoenix Mercury. Los Angeles is 12-1 at home. Minnesota is 10-3 on the road.

Momentum seems to be on the side of the Lynx, who are 9-1 in their last 10 games while the Sparks have gone 6-4.

Los Angeles has won three in a row since losing its first two games after the monthlong Olympic break. The Sparks are coming off an 88-81 victory over the Indiana Fever on Sunday.

Nneka Ogwumike had 21 points, eight assists and six rebounds for the Sparks, who shot 57.4 percent from the field. Candace Parker scored 19 points and Kristi Toliver added 18.

Minnesota lost to the Connecticut Sun 84-80 in its first game after the break but has won three in a row since then, including a 94-79 victory over Connecticut on Sunday.

Maya Moore scored 24 points for the Lynx, who shot 53.7 percent from the field and forced 18 turnovers. Sylvia Fowles had 18 points, eight rebounds and five steals.

Los Angeles and Minnesota are meeting for the third time this season. This will be the last time the teams face each other during the regular season.

The Lynx beat the Sparks 72-69 on June 21 in Los Angeles. The Sparks avenged that loss three days later, beating the Lynx 94-76 on June 24 in Minneapolis.

In the first game, Seimone Augustus scored 13 points, Rebekkah Brunson and Natasha Howard added 12 points apiece, and Renee Montgomery made a late 3-pointer to help Minnesota prevail.

In the second game, Toliver scored 25 points and Ogwumike had 20 as Los Angeles ended Minnesota's WNBA-record streak of 13 consecutive victories to start a season.


WNBA HEAD TO HEAD

Jun 24, 2016 Score ATS Results
LOS « 94 Cover: 23.5
MIN 76 Over: 170
Tools: Recaps

Jun 21, 2016 Score ATS Results
MIN « 72 Cover: 4
LOS 71 Under: 143
Tools: Recaps

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Standings

EASTERN CONFERENCE

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

New York Liberty 20 9 0.690 0 9-5 11-4 10-3 7-3 W-1

Chicago Sky 15 13 0.536 4 9-6 6-7 6-6 8-2 W-4

Atlanta Dream 14 14 0.500 5 9-5 5-9 8-7 5-5 L-1

Indiana Fever 13 15 0.464 6 6-8 7-7 6-7 6-4 L-1

Washington Mystics 11 17 0.393 8 4-9 7-8 6-5 2-8 W-1

Connecticut Sun 11 18 0.379 9 6-8 5-10 2-10 6-4 L-1


WESTERN CONFERENCE

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

Los Angeles Sparks 24 5 0.828 0 12-1 12-4 9-3 6-4 W-3

Minnesota Lynx 24 5 0.828 0 14-2 10-3 13-1 9-1 W-3

Phoenix Mercury 13 16 0.448 11 9-6 4-10 4-9 5-5 L-2

Seattle Storm 12 17 0.414 12 8-7 4-10 6-8 5-5 W-1

Dallas Wings 9 21 0.300 15 5-11 4-10 7-8 0-10 L-11

San Antonio Stars 6 22 0.214 17 4-9 2-13 1-11 1-9 L-3


Updated Tue Sep 6 12:08 PM EDT

[StarDust Bum]

WNBA BEST BET RECORD:

09/04 RECORD: 8 - 2

WLT PCT UNITS

ATS Picks 76-75-3 50.33% -3250

O/U Picks 76-78-0 49.35% -4900

[StarDust Bum]

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 6

GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

PHO at ATL 07:00 PM

ATL +3.5

O 169.0


IND at SA 08:00 PM

SA +8.0

O 154.5


MIN at LA 10:00 PM

LA -2.0

U 159.5

[StarDust Bum]

McCoughtry's 27 lead Dream over Mercury
September 6, 2016

ATLANTA (AP) Angel McCoughtry had 27 points and eight rebounds, Tiffany Hayes scored five points in the final 30 seconds and the Atlanta Dream beat the Phoenix Mercury 91-87 on Tuesday night.

McCoughtry made a contested layup and hit a long jumper over Brittney Griner on consecutive Atlanta possessions for an 84-77 lead with 1:51 left. But Diana Taurasi answered with back-to-back 3-pointers to pull Phoenix to 84-83.

Hayes converted a three-point play with 24 seconds left for an 89-85 lead and she made two free throws with 15 seconds left to seal it.

Bria Holmes added 18 points and Hayes finished with 14 points for Atlanta (15-14), which is ranked fifth in the AP power poll.

The Dream led 42-35 in the first half behind 16 points by McCoughtry.

Taurasi made four 3-pointers and scored 23 points for sixth-ranked Phoenix (13-17), which lost its third straight. Griner added 21 points, five rebounds and six blocks.

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January hits 2 late FTs, Fever beat Stars
September 6, 2016

SAN ANTONIO (AP) Lynetta Kizer scored nine of her 15 points in the fourth quarter, Briann January hit two free throws with 2.2 seconds left and the Indiana Fever beat the San Antonio Stars 71-69 on Tuesday night.

Monique Currie made a baseline jumper for San Antonio with 1:07 left to tie it at 69-all and she drew a charge on January at the other end. The Stars were whistled for a shot-clock violation on their next possession and Indiana called timeout with 17.8 seconds left.

After January's free throws, San Antonio advanced it to half court with a timeout but Shenise Johnson poked away the inbound pass.

January, Marissa Coleman and Johnson each scored 12 points for Indiana (14-15), which is ranked No. 7 in the AP power poll. Tamika Catchings, who averages 13.5 points per game, had one point and eight rebounds in 21 minutes.

Moriah Jefferson scored 17 points and Astou Ndour added 15 points with eight rebounds for 12th-ranked San Antonio (6-23).

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Fowles, Moore take over in 4th, Lynx move into 1st place
September 6, 2016

LOS ANGELES (AP) Sylvia Fowles had 21 points and nine rebounds, Maya Moore scored 12 of her 20 points in the fourth quarter and the Minnesota Lynx beat the Los Angeles Sparks 77-74 on Tuesday night for sole possession of first place in the Western Conference.

Fowles and Moore combined to score Minnesota's first 18 points of the fourth.

Moore hit a 3-pointer in transition to extend Minnesota's lead to 61-54. She knocked down another 3 with the shot clock winding down and after a Los Angeles miss, Moore made a fast-break layup for a 68-58 lead with 3:53 left.

Minnesota was up by 12 with 1:47 left but Los Angeles charged back and Chelsea Gray hit a 3-pointer from the corner with 2.1 seconds left to pull the Sparks to 76-74. With a second left, Lindsay Whalen made the first free throw and intentionally missed the second to run out the clock.

Whalen finished with 10 points and Rebekkah Brunson had 11 rebounds for Minnesota (25-5), the top-ranked team in the AP power poll. The Lynx earned a double bye to the semifinals of the WNBA playoffs.

Gray scored a career-high 20 points and Nneka Ogwumike had 19 points and eight rebounds for second-ranked Los Angeles (24-6). Candace Parker added 10 points, eight rebounds and seven assists.

The Sparks didn't make their first basket of the third quarter until the 3:21 mark but only trailed 54-50 entering the fourth after closing on a 10-4 run.

[StarDust Bum]

Standings

EASTERN CONFERENCE

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

New York Liberty 20 9 0.690 0 9-5 11-4 10-3 7-3 W-1

Chicago Sky 15 13 0.536 4 9-6 6-7 6-6 8-2 W-4

Atlanta Dream 15 14 0.517 5 10-5 5-9 8-7 5-5 W-1

Indiana Fever 14 15 0.483 6 6-8 8-7 6-7 6-4 W-1

Washington Mystics 11 17 0.393 8 4-9 7-8 6-5 2-8 W-1

Connecticut Sun 11 18 0.379 9 6-8 5-10 2-10 6-4 L-1


WESTERN CONFERENCE

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

Minnesota Lynx 25 5 0.833 0 14-2 11-3 14-1 9-1 W-4

Los Angeles Sparks 24 6 0.800 1 12-2 12-4 9-4 5-5 L-1

Phoenix Mercury 13 17 0.433 12 9-6 4-11 4-9 5-5 L-3

Seattle Storm 12 17 0.414 12 8-7 4-10 6-8 5-5 W-1

Dallas Wings 9 21 0.300 16 5-11 4-10 7-8 0-10 L-11

San Antonio Stars 6 23 0.207 18 4-10 2-13 1-11 1-9 L-4


Updated Wed Sep 7 2:07 AM EDT

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo: Wednesday's six-pack

— Penn State is 0-8 vs spread on the road under James Franklin.

— Since Eagles traded Sam Bradford, they went from -7.5 to -4 this weekend against the Browns. Total dropped from 45 to 41.5.

— Detroit’s Justin Upton has 8 homers in his last fifteen games.

— Astros’ Marwin Gonzalez has 36 career HRs; 32 have come with the bases empty.

— Giants were 57-33 at the All-Star break; they’re 17-31 since.

— As a Rams fan, when I see them cut players who immediately get picked up by other teams, I smile. Our talent base has improved.

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Armadillo: Wednesday's List of 13: Mid-week musings……..

13) Showtime has a reality show on Florida State football this season; FSU trailed 28-13 at halftime of their opener Monday nite, and alumnus Jameis Winston let loose in the locker room at halftime, reaming out the offensive line. Showtime’s cameras captured the whole thing.

Winston is 22 years old, the Tampa Bay Bucs’ starting QB; surprising that in a halftime that doesn’t allow that much time for adjustments, he felt free enough to lash out at his former teammates. No cursing that I remember (I saw the clip on Twitter); it was emotional and actually it was a decent coach’s speech and obviously, it worked.

12) Speaking of Florida State, reminds me of Winston’s last year with the Seminoles two years ago. I’m in Las Vegas the weekend FSU is playing Miami; I’m sitting in the sportsbook with a buddy and he knew I liked Florida State to win.

“Aren’t you going to bet on Florida State?” he asked.
“No, I’m waiting until they fall behind by 10 points, then I’ll bet them.”

Florida State had a weird habit that year of falling behind early, then rallying from behind to win, much like they did against Ole Miss Monday.

Sure enough once Miami got ahead (17-7, I think) I went up to the window and bet on Florida State and they won, I collected and looked smart for a few minutes (even a blind squirrel finds an acorn now and then).

In-game wagering is great fun; if you’re out in Las Vegas, it gives you a chance to put money on your opinion, even after the game has started.

11) NFL players who get put on the practice squad (I think it is 10 per team) make $7,000 a week, $119,000 if they last the whole year there.

10) Twins’ 2B Brian Dozier is on fire; he has 22 HRs since July 31; no one else in the big leagues has more than 12.

9) When Arizona Diamondbacks fire GM Dave Stewart after this season, keep in mind he traded Dansby Swanson, the first pick in LY’s draft, for pitcher Shelby Miller, who is 2-11, 6.59 this year. Arizona also sent OF Ender Inciarte to Atlanta and he’s having a good year for the Braves.

Just an awful trade, the Diamondbacks are having a depressing season and it is hard to imagine Stewart getting a new contract, which is too bad, as Stewart was a really good pitcher who helped the Oakland A’s win the ’89 World Series. But good lord, he has had a terrible time as Arizona’s GM.

8) Tennessee-Virginia Tech play football at Bristol Motor Speedway this weekend; 150,000 fans are expected. Bristol is 122 miles from Blacksburg, 113 miles from Knoxville. Someone’s making a boatload of money on this deal.

7) Astros’ OF George Springer was a 48th-round draft pick of the Twins as a high school senior, so he went to college at UConn instead. Three years later, he was the 11th pick in the whole draft.

First pick of the 48th round would be the 1,411th player taken, so Springer did an amazing job of improving his stock over a three-year period.

6) We talked last weekend about Houston Cougars coach Tom Herman and the $5M bonus he gets if Houston joins a Power 5 league. Herman’s agent is former NFL player Trace Armstrong, who was a defensive end for 15 years in the NFL. Pretty interesting career change there, player to agent.

5) Back to Florida State football for a second; coach Jimbo Fisher makes $5.1M a year!!!! LSU offensive coordinator Cam Cameron took a pay cut this year, from $1.5M to $1.2M and he’s not even the head coach.

4) Random college football thoughts, as far as college teams developing talent for the NFL:

— College coach’s job is to win games, to justify his $1M+ salary, not to develop pro players.
— That said, if Jameis Winston is an NFL star, it sure as hell helps Jimbo Fisher’s recruiting efforts.
— Players who play well on winning teams will get drafted; hell, guys who play well on lousy teams will get drafted.
— Not that long ago, Gus Malzahn, Art Briles, Hugh Freeze were high school coaches. Their heads have to be spinning at how much cash they are making.

3) Major league games and minor league games use different baseballs; this is completely stupid. I get that our big leagues and Japanese leagues use different baseballs (their baseballs are smaller) but for minor leaguers to have to adjust to a different (smoother surface, pitchers say) baseball is just plain dumb.

2) Topic of discussion on Mets’ games at various times this year has been whether or not modern players work too hard BEFORE THE GAME, which is why they get fatigued (mentally?) and need to be given “recovery days”, as the Marlins call them, during the season.

They watch film of that night’s pitcher, they lift weights, they hit in the indoor cage during the day. Keith Hernandez is adamant that players get to the ballpark too early each day and work too hard before the game

1– Monday night, I watched the Jon Gruden coaching session with Jared Goff for the first time on ESPN– it was done before the NFL Draft. Half hour show; Gruden was impressed with Goff, but he KILLED THE CAL OFFENSE and how many times they allowed the quarterback to get whacked by pass rushers.

Cal coaches couldn’t have been too excited by the show. Bears have several plays that are designed runs, but the QB has the option, if he sees LBs playing the run too aggressively, to keep the ball and throw a pass.

Problem is linemen are blocking for a running play and the QB is left open to getting his butt kicked if he decides to throw the ball. They showed some big plays Goff hit LY but he was on his back at the end of all of them.

[StarDust Bum]

WNBA
Dunkel

Wednesday, September 7

Seattle @ New York

Game 651-652
September 7, 2016 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Seattle
111.200
New York
114.795
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
New York
by 3 1/2
164
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
New York
by 7 1/2
158 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Seattle
(+7 1/2); Over

Chicago @ Washington

Game 653-654
September 7, 2016 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Chicago
114.246
Washington
109.716
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Chicago
by 4 1/2
170
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Chicago
by 2
166 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Chicago
(-2); Over




WNBA

Wednesday, September 7

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Trend Report
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7:00 PM
SEATTLE vs. NEW YORK
Seattle is 5-20 SU in its last 25 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Seattle's last 5 games when playing on the road against New York
New York is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Seattle
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of New York's last 5 games when playing at home against Seattle

7:00 PM
CHICAGO vs. WASHINGTON
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Chicago's last 7 games on the road
Chicago is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Washington's last 6 games
Washington is 2-9 SU in its last 11 games