2016 wnba thread news notes picks !

[StarDust Bum]

Game Preview: Dallas Wings at New York Liberty

June 13, 2016

Dallas Wings (3-6) at New York Liberty (5-4)

Date: Tuesday, June 14th

Time: 6:00 PM (CDT)

Site: Madison Square Garden

Television: ESPN3, MSG

Probable Starters

Wings: Karima Christmas, Glory Johnson, Courtney Paris, Odyssey Sims, Erin Phillips

Liberty: Tina Charles, Swin Cash, Carolyn Swords, Sugar Rodgers, Tanisha Wright



Storylines

The Wings travel to the Big Apple for the second time this season to take on Tina Charles and the New York Liberty. New York will make the trip west on September 11th for the final matchup of the season between the Wings and Liberty. In the first game, Dallas lost to New York 79-71 on May 15.

The Wings hit eight 3-pointers vs. Los Angeles last Saturday. It was the third time the Wings matched their season-high as a team in 2016. Dallas relies heavily on the 3-pointer, scoring a league-high 26.5 percent of their points from deep. Odyssey Sims’s 3 shots from behind the arc vs. the Sparks also tied a season-high for the guard.

Skylar Diggins returned to action on Saturday for the first time since the May 21st Wings home opener. Diggins played 18 minutes and scored 13 points on 3-6 shooting. The fourth-year guard, who missed most of last season with an ACL injury, provided a much-needed spark on defense with 3 steals.

Last week’s game vs. LA marked the return of forward Glory Johnson to the Dallas starting lineup. Her last start came for the Tulsa Shock on August 15, 2014 at Atlanta. The Sims-Phillips-Paris-Christmas-Johnson lineup is the third different starting five used by the Wings this season.

Johnson became only the third Wings player to lead the team in rebounding this season, grabbing six boards on Saturday night. Center Courtney Paris, tied for second in the league with 9.6 rebounds per game, has led the team six times this season while forward Karima Christmas has led the team in rebounding twice.

Last week, New York forward Swin Cash announced that she will retire at the conclusion of the 2016 WNBA season after 15 years in the league. Cash ranks sixth in WNBA history with 494 games played and is 14th all-time with 4,991 points. Cash played for the Detroit Shock franchise from 2002 to 2007.



Wings Head Coach Fred Williams on the upcoming New York game

“The Liberty are well-balanced with an inside game and scorers. With the addition of Swin Cash, they have more veteran leadership on the frontline. They are a team that plays well. We need to come out with a good pace in the first quarter, and play off that pace through the whole game.”

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Standings

EASTERN CONFERENCE

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

Atlanta Dream 7 3 0.700 0 3-2 4-1 5-2 7-3 W-1

New York Liberty 5 4 0.556 1 2-3 3-1 2-1 5-4 W-1

Chicago Sky 5 5 0.500 2 2-2 3-3 4-1 5-5 L-1

Indiana Fever 4 6 0.400 3 3-3 1-3 2-3 4-6 L-2

Washington Mystics 4 7 0.364 3 0-5 4-2 2-3 4-6 L-1

Connecticut Sun 2 8 0.200 5 1-4 1-4 0-5 2-8 L-1



WESTERN CONFERENCE

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

Minnesota Lynx 10 0 1.000 0 4-0 6-0 5-0 10-0 W-10

Los Angeles Sparks 9 0 1.000 0 3-0 6-0 4-0 9-0 W-9

Seattle Storm 4 6 0.400 6 2-3 2-3 2-2 4-6 W-1

Phoenix Mercury 4 6 0.400 6 4-2 0-4 1-5 4-6 W-2

Dallas Wings 3 6 0.333 6 1-4 2-2 1-2 3-6 L-5

San Antonio Stars 1 7 0.125 8 1-4 0-3 0-4 1-7 L-4


Updated Tue Jun 14 10:38 AM EDT

[StarDust Bum]

Lynx on verge of breaking own WNBA record for season start
June 13, 2016

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) With the WNBA Finals still four months away, the benefit of a strong start to the season can be marginal. Minnesota's perfect 10-0 record is more for pride.

Make no mistake, though. The Lynx are well aware they would set the league's all-time mark for most consecutive wins to begin a season with 11, if they beat Indiana on Tuesday.

''Because we were the ones who did it before,'' coach Cheryl Reeve said.

Indeed, the defending WNBA champions also started the 2012 season with a 10-0 record.

''We're all a little older. We're all a little more mature. We're able to handle things a little better,'' point guard Lindsay Whalen said. ''This has a little different feel.''

Aiming for their fourth title and their first successful championship defense, the Lynx have been relying more on their bench than ever. Three-quarters of the core of the team that won its first title in 2011 are well into the second half of their careers, with Whalen and power forward Rebekkah Brunson at age 34 and shooting guard Seimone Augustus now 32. Augustus and Whalen particularly had trouble staying healthy last year, but Reeve has them playing fewer minutes than ever before to preserve their bodies.

''This group, 10 games into it, looks really, really fresh,'' Reeve said on Monday after practice.

The preservation strategy has been made possible by the presence of experienced backup guards Renee Montgomery and Jia Perkins, giving the Lynx four starting-caliber players in the backcourt. Perkins joined Minnesota this season, her 13th in the league.

''We've had some quality depth, but it's the veteran nature of the depth now,'' Reeve said.

Maya Moore, the 2014 WNBA MVP award winner, is still the catalyst of this club, of course. Having center Sylvia Fowles, acquired last summer in a trade, for a full season is another boost. For perspective, the Lynx have taken their perfect record deeper into the schedule, 10 of 34 games, than the Golden State Warriors did with their 24-0 start on the way to the 73-9 finish that set the NBA's hallmark for best record.

The Phoenix Mercury went 29-5 in 2014 for the most regular-season wins in league history. The now-defunct Houston Comets posted the best all-time winning percentage in 1998 with a 27-3 record, playing four fewer games than WNBA teams do now. The best the Lynx have finished is 27-7, in back-to-back years, 2011 and 2012.

''In the end, being 10-0 doesn't mean a darn thing relative to the big picture of where you want to be at the end of the season,'' Reeve said.

Especially when they're barely in first place now. Los Angeles, which looms on the schedule twice next week, is 9-0.

''It's like, `Who's going to be the first to blink?''' Reeve said.

The Lynx play at the Sparks on June 21 and return home for the rematch on June 24.

''We realize we have a long way to go,'' Montgomery said, ''and I think that's the exciting part.'

[StarDust Bum]

WNBA SELECTIONS:

TUESDAY, JUNE 14

GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

WAS at CONN 07:00 PM

CONN +3.0

O 161.0


DAL at NY 07:00 PM

NY -8.0

O 161.0


SEA at SA 08:00 PM

SEA -4.0

U 148.0


IND at MIN 08:00 PM

IND +13.0

U 163.5


CHI at LA 10:30 PM

LA -8.0

U 166.5

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo: Thursday's six-pack

Regular season plus/minus for the Golden State Warriors this year:

+1,068-- Draymond Green (70% of minutes)

+1,023-- Steph Curry (67%)

+835-- Klay Thompson (67%)

+454-- Andre Iguodala (43%)

+451-- Harrison Barnes (51%)

+399-- Andrew Bogut (36%)

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

13) Baseball's interleague trading deadline is July 31, but when I was a kid, back in the 70's, it was June 15. On June 15, 1976, the A's tried to sell Rollie Fingers/Joe Rudi to the Red Sox and Vida Blue to New York. Oakland had won the last five AL West titles, but had lost Catfish Hunter to free agency, and the owner was bailing out.

Now I was a 16-year old high school junior; this didn't set well with me, someone who had zero idea how the real world works. Three days later, the baseball commish nixed the deals and the players went back to Oakland, but things were never the same again.

I guess that day was when it hit me that sports are a big business, not just something that people do for fun.

12) Nationals 5, Cubs 4 (12)-- Chicago is now 40-4 when it scores 4+ runs. This had the feel of a postseason game.

11) Last time the #1 pick in NBA Draft came from the Pac-12 (or Pac-8 or Pac-10) was Bill Walton way back in 1974.

10) Philadelphia Eagles have doled out $280,254,834 in guaranteed salary so far in 2016; next highest figure in NFL this year: Giants, at roughly $141M.

9) You don't see a starting pitcher thrown out of a game for arguing balls, strikes very often; Tampa Bay's Jake Odorizzi got run by umpire Jerry Meals Tuesday nite. Meals is a notorious hitters' ump (over is 28-13-3 in Meals' games last two years).

8) Last major league player to play every position in one game: Shane Halter, way back on October 1, 2000 for Detroit.

7) Obscure baseball record: since 1938, of all the hitters to bat .300+ in a season, Billy Butler into the most doubleplays-- he hit into 32 twin killings in 2010, when he hit .318. Four guys hit into 31 DPs, including Matt Holliday and Jim Rice.

6) Another nominee for "Worst TV show ever": Marriage Boot Camp. Horrendous progam showcasing attention-starved couples getting in disputes of various kinds. I'd rather stare at color bars for an hour than watch another minute of that garbage.

5) Colorado Rockies DFA'd Jose Reyes yesterday, meaning they have ten days to trade him or else they can release him or send him to the minors, if he agrees to do that. Reyes will still get his $22M a year salary, but not sure a contender will want to pick him up-- there is no way a non-conender would pick him up, given domestic violence backlash involved. Hard to believe his career would end this way.

4) Chris Sale was 9-0, 1.58 in his first nine starts this year; he is 1-2, 6.75 in his last four. Why do players suddenly lose it or why do they suddenly regain their form?

3) WWE is returning to Las Vegas Sunday night for first time in eight years, at the new T-Mobile Arena just off the strip, kind of behind the New York-New York hotel.

2) Portland Trailblazers decided to fire their TV announcers this week, which makes me sad, since Mike Rice is one of my favorites. A former coach, Rice used to call Big West games on USA Network in the Tark the Shark glory years in the 80's-- his son Mike was the coach at Rutgers a few years ago. Rice was with the Trailblazers for 26 yeasrs and is immensely popular with Trailblazer fans.

1) Apparently they don't have public rest rooms in North Dakota.

Eagles' rookie QB Carson Wentz somehow got locked in a bathroom at a gas station in New Jersey on Wednesday; his rescue included garden shears.

If the Rams had drafted this guy, I'd probably be a little worried right now.

[StarDust Bum]

WNBA Betting Recap - 6/6-6/12
June 14, 2016

League Betting Notes (Monday, June 6 through Sunday, June 12)

-- Favorites went 10-3 straight up (SU)

-- Favorites went 7-6 against the spread (ATS)

-- Road teams posted a 7-6 SU record

-- Road teams posted a 8-5 ATS record

-- The 'over' went 10-3

Team Betting Notes

-- The 'over' continues to hit for Washington (4-7), as the Mystics are a perfect 11-0 so far this season. They have allowed at least 76 points in each of thier games, and 79 or more in 10 of his 11 outings. The Mystics are also 3-0 ATS over the past three outings after starting out just 2-6 ATS over the first eight.

-- Connecticut (2-8) covered each of their games in the past week, and despite a rough overall win-loss record they are a solid 4-1 ATS over the past five outings. They'll face the high-octane and defensively-challenged Mystics in Tuesday's game.

-- Los Angeles (9-0) remained perfect in the win-loss column with two wins and covers this week. They're 7-2 ATS this season, and their past three victories are by an average of 20.0 points per game. However, as double-digit favorites, the Sparks are just 1-2 ATS.

-- Minnesota (10-0) kept their overall record unblemished with three victories in the past week. They were just 1-2 ATS during the span, but the 'over' connected in all three outings. They're on a collision course with the Sparks, with a home-and-home set to begin June 21 in L.A.

-- Dallas (3-6) has been having tremendous difficulty straight-up and against the number lately. They started the season 3-1 SU/2-2 ATS, but they have now dropped five in a row and failed to cover in their past six. One thing that is consistent about the Wings has been the 'over', hitting in six of the past seven.

-- Seattle (4-6) won their second road games of the season, surprising Indiana (4-6) despite being six-point underdogs. The Fever are having their troubles lately, going 1-3 SU/ATS over the past four outings. It won't get any easier for them, either, as they travel to Minnesota Tuesday.

-- San Antonio (1-7) aren't winning, and lately they haven't covered the spread, either. After opening 3-1-1 ATS through the first five games, the Stars have failed to cover each of their past three.

-- Chicago (5-5) had their four-game cover streak snapped in their loss at Phoenix (4-6). The Mercury opened 0-4 SU/ATS, but they have won back-to-back games and covered three in a row.

[StarDust Bum]

WNBA

Thursday, June 16

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Trend Report
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7:00 PM
NEW YORK vs. CONNECTICUT
New York is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of New York's last 7 games when playing Connecticut
Connecticut is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against New York
Connecticut is 1-8 SU in its last 9 games

8:30 PM
SEATTLE vs. DALLAS
Seattle is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
Seattle is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Dallas
The total has gone OVER in 9 of Dallas's last 11 games when playing at home against Seattle
Dallas is 8-15 SU in its last 23 games when playing Seattle

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WNBA
Long Sheet

Thursday, June 16

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NEW YORK (6 - 4) at CONNECTICUT (2 - 9) - 6/16/2016, 7:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
CONNECTICUT is 18-5 ATS (+12.5 Units) in June games over the last 3 seasons.
CONNECTICUT is 10-2 ATS (+7.8 Units) in home games after a division game over the last 2 seasons.
NEW YORK is 30-19 ATS (+9.1 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
NEW YORK is 17-5 ATS (+11.5 Units) in road games over the last 2 seasons.
NEW YORK is 11-3 ATS (+7.7 Units) in road games vs. division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
NEW YORK is 12-4 ATS (+7.6 Units) in road games after scoring 75 points or more over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
NEW YORK is 5-4 against the spread versus CONNECTICUT over the last 3 seasons
NEW YORK is 7-2 straight up against CONNECTICUT over the last 3 seasons
7 of 9 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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SEATTLE (4 - 7) at DALLAS (3 - 7) - 6/16/2016, 8:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
SEATTLE is 70-96 ATS (-35.6 Units) in road games after a division game since 1997.
SEATTLE is 101-74 ATS (+19.6 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 77+ points/game since 1997.
DALLAS is 0-6 ATS (-6.6 Units) after scoring 75 points or more this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
DALLAS is 4-4 against the spread versus SEATTLE over the last 3 seasons
DALLAS is 5-3 straight up against SEATTLE over the last 3 seasons
4 of 8 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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WNBA
Dunkel

Thursday, June 16


New York @ Connecticut

Game 601-602
June 16, 2016 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
New York
109.216
Connecticut
107.347
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
New York
by 2
166
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
New York
by 7 1/2
159 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Connecticut
(+7 1/2); Over

Seattle @ Dallas

Game 603-604
June 16, 2016 @ 8:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Seattle
110.252
Dallas
108.094
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Seattle
by 2
161
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Dallas
by 4 1/2
166
Dunkel Pick:
Seattle
(+4 1/2); Under

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Liberty (6-4) at Sun (2-9)
Date: June 16, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

The surging New York Liberty will try to build on their recent success when they visit the struggling Connecticut Sun on Thursday night at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.

New York (6-4) has won four of its last five games. The Liberty's only setback during that stretch was a 100-77 loss to the undefeated Los Angeles Sparks on June 7.

Connecticut (2-9) has dropped two in a row and eight of its last nine, including a 109-106 triple-overtime loss to the Washington Mystics on Tuesday. The Sun's only win during that span was a 77-76 victory over the Seattle Storm on June 10.

New York is led by four-time WNBA All-Star and 2012 MVP Tina Charles, a 6-foot-4 center who has expanded her game to include a reliable outside shooting touch. Charles, who averages 20.6 points and 9.7 rebounds per game, made a career-high three 3-pointers and led all scorers with 28 points in New York's 91-88 victory over the Dallas Wings on Tuesday. She is 5 of 8 from beyond the arc this season after making just 2 of 17 3-pointers in her first six seasons in the league.

New York's second leading scorer is Sugar Rodgers, who is averaging 16.2 points per game. She had 18 in the win over Dallas, scoring in double figures for the ninth time this season.

Connecticut has three players scoring in double figures this season. Jasmine Thomas averages 11.7 points per game, Camille Little is at 10.7 points and Alex Bentley is at 10 points.

Bentley scored 31 points in the triple-overtime loss to Washington.

This will be the first meeting between New York and Connecticut this season. The teams will play each other again on July 17 and Sept. 9. Both of those games will be at Madison Square Garden.


WNBA HEAD TO HEAD

Sep 9, 2015 Score ATS Results
CONN 64 Cover: 2.5
NEW « 74 Under: 138
Tools: Recaps

Aug 29, 2015 Score ATS Results
NEW « 80 Cover: 7
CONN 66 Under: 146
Tools: Recaps

Aug 14, 2015 Score ATS Results
NEW « 90 Cover: 7
CONN 78 Over: 168
Tools: Recaps

Jul 16, 2015 Score ATS Results
CONN 57 Under: 121
NEW « 64 Cover: 1.5
Tools: Recaps

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Storm (4-7) at Wings (3-7)
Date: June 16, 2016 8:30 PM EDT

Seattle and Dallas, two teams struggling the most in the WNBA's Western Conference along with last-place San Antonio, face each other Thursday night at the College Park Center in Arlington, Texas.

Seattle (4-7) is coming off a 77-70 loss at San Antonio, which had the league's worst record of 1-7 entering the game.

"We've been inconsistent all year," Storm coach Jenny Boucek told the Seattle TImes. "We have lapses, especially defensively. You can't afford to do that in this league; teams are too good."

Seattle (4-7) opened the game missing 14 of its first 17 and shot just 33 percent while allowing 45 percent. The Storm, down by 13 points, rallied to close within 71-70 in the final minute but could not overtake the Stars.

"We've rallied a lot in the past 11 games," Seattle forward Breanna Stewart said. "But we can't come out slow."

Dallas (3-6) enters Thursday night's game on a six-game losing streak, the last defeat a near upset of New York on the road Tuesday.

The Wings lost 91-88 despite 21 points from forward Karima Christmas and 19 from guard Odyssey Sims. A three-point attempt by Sims to tie the game with three seconds left was blocked by New York center Kiah Stokes.

"I thought we fought pretty hard tonight," Dallas coach Fred Williams said. "We just didn't have some shots go down when we needed them in that last four-minute stretch."

The loss to the Liberty was the first game that Dallas had its entire roster healthy and able to play. Standout guard Skylar Diggins, working her way back from an ACL injury she suffered last season, played in only her third game this season and started for the first time. She had one point in 24 minutes.

"It's going to take her four or five games to get back into the flow," Williams said of Diggins.

Dallas made 15 three-pointers against New York, which is one shy of the WNBA record held by three different teams, most recently Phoenix at Tulsa in the 2010 season.

Stewart, a rookie and former UConn star, is coming off a 19-point, 15-rebound performance in the loss at San Antonio. It was her fifth double-double of the season. She leads the WNBA in rebounding with 10.1 a game.

The game at Dallas concludes a four-game road trip for Seattle, which is 1-2 thus far in that stretch.

[StarDust Bum]

Standings

EASTERN CONFERENCE

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

Atlanta Dream 7 3 0.700 0 3-2 4-1 5-2 7-3 W-1

New York Liberty 6 4 0.600 1 3-3 3-1 2-1 6-4 W-2

Chicago Sky 5 6 0.455 2 2-2 3-4 4-1 4-6 L-2

Washington Mystics 5 7 0.417 3 0-5 5-2 3-3 5-5 W-1

Indiana Fever 4 7 0.364 3 3-3 1-4 2-3 4-6 L-3

Connecticut Sun 2 9 0.182 5 1-5 1-4 0-6 2-8 L-2


WESTERN CONFERENCE

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

Minnesota Lynx 11 0 1.000 0 5-0 6-0 5-0 10-0 W-11

Los Angeles Sparks 10 0 1.000 0 4-0 6-0 4-0 10-0 W-10

Phoenix Mercury 4 6 0.400 6 4-2 0-4 1-5 4-6 W-2

Seattle Storm 4 7 0.364 7 2-3 2-4 2-3 4-6 L-1

Dallas Wings 3 7 0.300 7 1-4 2-3 1-2 3-7 L-6

San Antonio Stars 2 7 0.222 8 2-4 0-3 1-4 2-7 W-1


Updated Thu Jun 16 10:07 AM EDT

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo: Friday's six-pack

-- Cavaliers 115, Warriors 101-- First time since 1966 that a team down 3-1 in Finals forced a Game 7.

-- Last time a road team won Game 7 in NBA Fials; Washington Bullets at Seattle Supersonics, way back in 1978.

-- 12 different American Presidents have been in office since Vin Scully has been calling Dodger games.

-- Tigers 10, Royals 4-- Victor Martinez missed last three games with a bad knee, but hit three solo home runs in this game.

-- Whit Merrifield has scored in Royals' last ten home games.

-- A's AAA farm team in Nashville drew10,092 fans Thursday night; no way the A's drew that many fans for their listless loss to Texas Thursday afternoon. Announced crowd was 14,236, which is science fiction.

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Armadillo: Friday's List of 13: Random stuff with weekend here......

13) 19 of Cleveland Cavaliers' last 21 games were decided by 11+ points.

12) LSU rookie Ben Simmons declined to work out for the 76ers? No idea what this means, but I doubt it is a positive sign. Maybe it is nothing, maybe he is angling to be a LA Laker, but red flags are increasingly popping up around the Australian rookie.

11) Bob Davidson has been a major league umpire for 30+ years and he isn't a crew chief? What does this say about him? Davidson did the plate in Cubs-Nationals game Wednesday; by end of the game, both sidies were livid with his ball/strike calls.

10) City of Philadelphia put a 1.5 cent-per-ounce tax on soda, making it the biggest city in America to do so (Berkeley had been). So my 20-ounce Cherry Coke goes up 30 cents a bottle, but God forbid someone on the Terror Watch List not be allowed to buy an assault weapon. Politicians are scum.

9) Oakland A's pulled a fast one on their competitors when they signed Yoenis Cespedes to a 4-year, $36M deal in 2012; they went 256-175 and made playoffs all three years Cespedes played for them. Since they traded him? 117-167.

8) Pittsburgh Pirates have had a brutal travel schedule the last couple weeks; they played at Citi Field last night and have a day game in Chicago today. This is wrong; if you have a day game, your getaway day game also should be a day game.

7) So I'm in a 16-team keeper fantasy league, four pickups a month, good league and highly competitive. I need another hitter and I'm listening to Mets' TV guys pumping up Wilmer Flores last night. I'm about to click on his page on my laptop, and Flores gets drilled on the hand by a pitch- he leaves the game. So much for that idea. .

6) Tampa Bay rookie pitcher Blake Snell is wearing #4, making him 4th big league pitcher this year to wear a single digit number.

5) With Florida AD Jeremy Foley retiring this week, you wonder if that played into Billy Donovan bolting Gainesville for the NBA last spring. If you're a college coach, you want to work for the AD that hired you. Makes life a lot easier.

4) Other than the Pittsburgh/San Francisco markets, Buffalo had highest TV ratings for the Stanley Cup Finals, amongst American markets.

3) Two groups have bid over $4B to buy UFC, thats how popular UFC is.

2) Playing football is difficult. Steelers' center Maurkice Pouncey had six operations and a skin graft, just last year.

1) Only nine golfers finished the first round of the US Open Thursday; if you like to watch golf on TV, today is your day.

[StarDust Bum]

WNBA
Long Sheet

Friday, June 17

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CHICAGO (5 - 6) at ATLANTA (7 - 3) - 6/17/2016, 7:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
CHICAGO is 4-13 ATS (-10.3 Units) after a non-conference game over the last 2 seasons.
CHICAGO is 19-35 ATS (-19.5 Units) after allowing 75 points or more over the last 3 seasons.
CHICAGO is 18-35 ATS (-20.5 Units) after scoring 75 points or more over the last 3 seasons.
ATLANTA is 6-0 ATS (+6.0 Units) after playing 3 consecutive home games over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
CHICAGO is 7-6 against the spread versus ATLANTA over the last 3 seasons
CHICAGO is 8-5 straight up against ATLANTA over the last 3 seasons
8 of 13 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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INDIANA (4 - 7) at SAN ANTONIO (2 - 7) - 6/17/2016, 8:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
SAN ANTONIO is 14-30 ATS (-19.0 Units) in home games off an upset win as an underdog since 1997.
SAN ANTONIO is 38-61 ATS (-29.1 Units) in home games after scoring 75 points or more since 1997.

Head-to-Head Series History
SAN ANTONIO is 3-1 against the spread versus INDIANA over the last 3 seasons
SAN ANTONIO is 2-2 straight up against INDIANA 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 (4 - 6) at LOS ANGELES (10 - 0) - 6/17/2016, 10:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
PHOENIX is 17-29 ATS (-14.9 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
PHOENIX is 21-37 ATS (-19.7 Units) as a road underdog of 6.5 to 9 points since 1997.
PHOENIX is 7-16 ATS (-10.6 Units) in road games over the last 2 seasons.
LOS ANGELES is 8-2 ATS (+5.8 Units) in all games this season.
LOS ANGELES is 8-2 ATS (+5.8 Units) as a favorite this season.
LOS ANGELES is 8-2 ATS (+5.8 Units) in May, June, or July games this season.
LOS ANGELES is 14-26 ATS (-14.6 Units) in home games over the last 3 seasons.
LOS ANGELES is 50-76 ATS (-33.6 Units) in a home game where where the total is greater than or equal to 150 since 1997.
LOS ANGELES is 25-47 ATS (-26.7 Units) after 3 or more consecutive overs since 1997.
LOS ANGELES is 126-164 ATS (-54.4 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record since 1997.
LOS ANGELES is 67-95 ATS (-37.5 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 77+ points/game since 1997.

Head-to-Head Series History
LOS ANGELES is 5-5 against the spread versus PHOENIX over the last 3 seasons
PHOENIX is 9-2 straight up against LOS ANGELES over the last 3 seasons
6 of 10 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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WNBA

Friday, June 17

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Trend Report
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7:30 PM
CHICAGO vs. ATLANTA
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Chicago's last 8 games
Chicago is 3-6 SU in its last 9 games on the road
Atlanta is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Atlanta's last 7 games

8:00 PM
INDIANA vs. SAN ANTONIO
Indiana is 2-4-1 ATS in its last 7 games on the road
Indiana is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games on the road
San Antonio is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games when playing Indiana
San Antonio is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Indiana

10:30 PM
PHOENIX vs. LOS ANGELES
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Phoenix's last 5 games when playing on the road against Los Angeles
Phoenix is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games when playing on the road against Los Angeles
The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Los Angeles's last 15 games when playing Phoenix
Los Angeles is 5-1-1 ATS in its last 7 games when playing Phoenix

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WNBA
Dunkel

Friday, June 17


Chicago @ Atlanta

Game 651-652
June 17, 2016 @ 7:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Chicago
110.476
Atlanta
112.570
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Atlanta
by 2
166
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Chicago
by 3
175
Dunkel Pick:
Atlanta
(+3); Under

Indiana @ San Antonio

Game 653-654
June 17, 2016 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Indiana
113.004
San Antonio
107.132
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Indiana
by 6
157
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Indiana
by 3 1/2
150
Dunkel Pick:
Indiana
(-3 1/2); Over

Phoenix @ Los Angeles

Game 655-656
June 17, 2016 @ 10:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Phoenix
111.040
Los Angeles
123.499
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Los Angeles
by 12 1/2
174
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Los Angeles
by 8
169 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Los Angeles
(-8); Over

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Sky (5-6) at Dream (7-3)
Date: June 17, 2016 7:30 PM EDT

The first-place Atlanta Dream play host to the Chicago Sky on Friday in a battle of two of the top teams in the Eastern Conference.

The surprising Dream (7-3) were picked to finish 11th in the 12-team WNBA in preseason rankings. They added several new faces while building around their core of Angel McCoughtry, Tiffany Hayes and Sancho Lyttle but had plenty of question marks entering the season.

The addition of point guard Layshia Clarendon and forward Elizabeth Williams have helped answer some of the questions.

McCoughtry, Hayes, Clarendon and Williams are averaging double figures in scoring for the Dream.

One of the Dream's losses was the Sky's gain. Forward Erika de Souza spent several seasons with Atlanta before being traded to Chicago last July as a part of a three-team deal. She is averaging 6.9 points and 6.2 rebounds per game this season.

Big things were expected of the Sky, with reigning MVP Elena Delle Donne returning. Chicago (5-6) has dropped its last two games, though, to fall into third place in the Eastern Conference.

Delle Donne is averaging 17.6 points per game this season. Veteran guard Cappie Pondexter is second on the team in scoring, averaging 13.5 points per game.

The Dream beat the Sky 87-81 on May 22 behind 21 points from McCoughtry and 15 points and eight rebounds from Clarendon. Williams blocked five shots in the win.

The Sky had beaten the Dream in their previous three meetings.

Williams is leading the WNBA in blocks and is coming off a 20-point, 10-rebound effort in the Dream's win over Connecticut on Sunday.

McCoughtry had 18 points in the win over the Sun. She has scored in double figures in 25 straight games and is second in the WNBA in scoring, averaging 20.3 points per game.

The Sky are coming off a 98-85 loss at the Los Angeles Sparks on Tuesday. Pondexter had 20 points and Delle Donne finished with 15 points on 4-of-12 shooting from the field.

The Dream will be without Lyttle on Friday against Chicago. Lyttle, the team's leading rebounder, is playing with Spain's national team in Olympic qualifying.

Atlanta leads the WNBA in rebounding and Chicago is second.


WNBA HEAD TO HEAD

May 22, 2016 Score ATS Results
CHI 81 Under: 168
ATL « 87 Cover: 10.5
Tools: Recaps

Aug 29, 2015 Score ATS Results
CHI « 98 Over: 194
ATL 96 Cover: 0
Tools: Recaps

Jul 21, 2015 Score ATS Results
ATL 92 Cover: 4.5
CHI « 97 Over: 189
Tools: Recaps

Jun 24, 2015 Score ATS Results
ATL 96 Cover: 4.5
CHI « 100 Over: 196
Tools: Recaps

Jun 19, 2015 Score ATS Results
CHI 73 Under: 147
ATL « 74 Cover: 4.5
Tools: Recaps

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Fever (4-7) at Stars (2-7)
Date: June 17, 2016 8:00 PM EDT

Indiana is searching for chemistry in an effort to stabilize an uneven start to the season. San Antonio knows the feeling.

The Fever host the Stars on Friday in a battle of two struggling squads looking to turn around disappointing starts. Indiana (4-7) has lost three straight to drop into sixth place in the Eastern Conference. The Stars (2-7) broke a four-game slide with an upset of Seattle on Tuesday, but remain in last place in the top-heavy Western Conference.

Neither team has been able to find any consistency on the offensive side of the court. San Antonio is shooting 40.6 percent from the field and averaging the fewest points in the league (70.7). Indiana isn't much better, shooting 40.0 percent and averaging 78.5 points.

The Stars are led by former Notre Dame star Kayla McBride, who leads the team with 17.1 points. No other San Antonio player is averaging double figures in points. But the Stars looked better in their win over Seattle. Moriah Jefferson scored a career-high 19 points, and Dearica Hamby had 15 points and 18 rebounds in a 77-70 win over a Storm team that upended Indiana last week.

Indiana is coming off an 87-63 blowout loss to unbeaten and defending-champion Minnesota on Tuesday. The Fever lost to the Lynx in last season's WNBA Finals.

Rookie Tiffany Mitchell leads the Fever in scoring at 13.4 points, and veteran Tamika Catchings is averaging 11.3 points. But coach Stephanie White, who has announced this will be her last season with the Fever, isn't happy about the team's togetherness or effort.

"We are a team on a journey, a journey to find cohesiveness," White told reporters after losing to Seattle at home on Sunday. "We have to find our rotations and we have to find cohesion on both ends of the floor. That is going to take time, and I'm OK with that. But what we can't have is lack of effort."

The Fever is 3-3 at home this season, but has beaten San Antonio in five of the last seven meetings. The Stars did win the last meeting, however, crushing the Fever 80-62 last July.


WNBA HEAD TO HEAD

Jul 21, 2015 Score ATS Results
IND 62 Under: 142
SA « 80 Cover: 20.5
Tools: Recaps

Jul 10, 2015 Score ATS Results
SA 76 Cover: 0.5
IND « 83 Over: 159
Tools: Recaps

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Mercury (4-6) at Sparks (10-0)
Date: June 17, 2016 10:30 PM EDT

The Los Angeles Sparks will try to keep their perfect record intact when they play host to the Phoenix Mercury on Friday Night at Staples Center in Los Angeles, Calif.

Los Angeles (10-0) has an opportunity to match the idle Minnesota Lynx (11-0), who broke their own WNBA record for most wins to start a season. Minnesota won't play again until Sunday.

"We want to be the ones to go in there and ruin that for them by giving them their first loss, so hopefully we can do that," Phoenix forward Candice Dupree said on the team website.

Phoenix (4-6) has won two in a row after losing six of eight to start the season. The Mercury is coming off an 86-80 victory over the Chicago Sky. Diana Taurasi, the WNBA scoring leader at 24.1 points per game, scored 31 points in that contest to help her team overcome a 14-point deficit.

Los Angeles is also coming off a win over Chicago. The Sparks beat the Sky 98-85 on Tuesday. Nneka Ogwumike recorded her sixth double-double of the season, posting 27 points and 12 rebounds to help the Sparks set a franchise record with their 10th consecutive victory to start the season.

Ogwumike missed her first shot of the second half against Chicago after setting a WNBA record with 23 consecutive made field goals over a span of three games. She leads the league in field-goal percentage, shooting a scorching 70.4 percent.

Ogwumike is fifth in the WNBA in scoring and fourth in rebounding, averaging 18.4 points and 9.2 rebounds per game. Teammates Kristi Toliver and Candace Parker rank third and fourth, respectively, in 3-point shooting. Toliver is shooting 46.2 percent from beyond the arc. Parker is shooting 44.1 percent.

This is the first meeting of the year between Los Angeles and Phoenix.

If Los Angeles beats Phoenix and Minnesota beats Seattle (4-7) on Sunday, both teams will be unbeaten when they collide for the first time on Tuesday at Staples Center. They will clash again three days later at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minn.


WNBA HEAD TO HEAD

Sep 11, 2015 Score ATS Results
LOS 65 Cover: 0.5
PHO « 70 Under: 135
Tools: Recaps

Aug 21, 2015 Score ATS Results
LOS « 78 Cover: 15
PHO 68 Over: 146
Tools: Recaps

Jul 21, 2015 Score ATS Results
PHO 65 Under: 134
LOS « 69 Cover: 8
Tools:

Jul 5, 2015 Score ATS Results
PHO « 94 Over: 185
LOS 91 Cover: 0.5
Tools: Recaps