2016 wnba thread news notes picks !

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Wings (7-8) at Sparks (13-1)
Date: June 28, 2016 10:00 PM EDT

Los Angeles Sparks forward Nneka Ogwumike made history the last time she played the Dallas Wings.

Ogwumike set a WNBA record for most field goal-attempts without a miss, going 12-for-12 en route to a 32-point effort in which she was also perfect on seven shots from the free-throw line. She added 10 rebounds in a 97-73 win in Dallas on June 11.

The teams play Tuesday night in Los Angeles, the second of three meetings this season.

The Sparks (13-1) come in with the best record in the league after the previously unbeaten Minnesota Lynx lost two in a row -- including a home game to Los Angeles last week -- to drop to 13-2.

Dallas (7-8) had won four consecutive games before losing 92-87 to the visiting Indiana Fever on Saturday night.

"L.A. is a great team and they just came off of a huge win in Minnesota, so I know they are going to be ready for us," Wings forward Karima Christmas said on WNBA.com.

"We're going to try to come out and be ready for them. We didn't really play too well when they came here. We'll try to go on the road and buckle down, and be more aggressive on defense because they have an awesome pick-and-roll scheme just like Indiana."

The Sparks had their way offensively in the first meeting, shooting 58.5 percent (38 of 65). They were 33 of 48 (68.8 percent) on 2-point shots.

Ogwumike is still hot, scoring 27 points on 11-of-16 shooting in an 80-73 win over the Connecticut Sun on Sunday night. She is averaging 17.9 points and 8.5 rebounds per game, both team-highs.

Center Candace Parker averages 15.3 points per game, and guard Kristi Toliver is at 14.8.

Dallas has a strong, young backcourt of Odyssey Sims (16.4 points per game) and Skylar Diggins (12.3). Christmas averages 14.5 points. Forward Glory Johnson, who moved into the starting lineup last game, has averaged 11.8 points and 7.9 rebounds in eight games since returning from a season-opening seven-game suspension.

The Sparks shoot a WNBA-high 48.8 percent from the field. Dallas is 11th among 12 teams at 40.9 percent.

[StarDust Bum]

6/25 - Sunday's Results : 1 - 3

Overall : WLT PCT UNITS

ATS Picks 34-37-3 47.89% -3350

O/U Picks 40-34-0 54.05% +1300

[StarDust Bum]

Pat Summit Passes Away


Coaching career
1974–2012 Tennessee

Head coaching record
Overall 1,098–208 (.841)

Accomplishments and honors

Championships
8× NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Championships (1987,1989,1991,1996–1998,2007,2008)

16× SEC Champions
(1980, 1985, 1990, 1993–1995, 1998, 1999–2004, 2007, 2010, 2011)

16× SEC Tournament Champions
(1980, 1985, 1988, 1989, 1992, 1994, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2010–2012)

Awards

8× Time SEC Coach of the Year (1993,1995,1998,2001,2003,2004,2007,2011)

7× Time NCAA Coach of the Year (1983, 1987, 1989, 1994, 1995, 1998, 2004)

Naismith Coach of the 20th Century

2012 Presidential Medal of Freedom

Basketball Hall of Fame
Inducted in 2000


Medal record

Representing United States

World University Games
Silver medal – second place 1973 Moscow Team Competition

Pan American Games
Gold medal – first place 1975 Mexico Player

Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place 1976 Montreal Player

Women's Basketball
Head Coach for United States
William Jones Cup
Gold medal – first place 1984 Taipei Team Competition

Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1984 Los Angeles Team Competition

FIBA World Championship for Women
Silver medal – second place 1983 Sao Paulo Team Competition

FIBA World Championship for Women
Gold medal – first place 1979 Seoul Team Competition

William Jones Cup
Gold medal – first place 1979 Taipei Team Competition

Pan American Games
Silver medal – second place 1979 San Juan Team Competition


Graduation rate of Summit players
100%


Thank you, Coach. Goodbye. May God rest your magnificent soul.

[StarDust Bum]

http://www.cbssports.com/college-bas...ase-too-cruel/

[Udog]

http://www.cbssports.com/college-bas...ase-too-cruel/

Thanks, Bum! Great link!

[StarDust Bum]

TUESDAY, JUNE 28

GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

ATL at SEA 10:00 PM

SEA -3.5

U 166.5


DAL at LA 10:00 PM

DAL +10.5

O 169.5

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo: Wednesday's six-pack

-- I had two Nathan's hot dogs for lunch yesterday; how does anyone eat 60 of those things in ten minutes, like they do in that hot dog eating contest July 4?

-- Lucas Giolito threw four shutout innings in his MLB debut as Washington shut out the Mets, 5-0. Giolito had his outing shortened by a 5th-inning rain delay.

-- Giolito's grandfather had a recurring role in Seinfeld (Susan's father).

-- Padres' CF Jon Jay has a broken arm, is out 4-6 weeks.

-- Clayton Kershaw is flying back to LA today to get his sore back checked out.

-- Lebron James opted out of his $24M contract for next year, so he will be a free agent again on Friday, though he says he intends to stay in Cleveland.

**********

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

13) Baseball has to change the rain delay rule; Texas-New York sat thru a 3:35 rain delay (thats three hours, 35 minutes) with the game resuming around 2:15am Tuesday in bottom of the 9th inning. First game of a series, it should have been suspended and then finished before Tuesday's game. Common sense just ain't that common.

12) Kirby Yates became the first pitcher to hit three batters in the ninth inning of a game since Ray Boggs of the Braves on September 17, 1928.

Aroldis Chapman threw nine pitches in the rain before the game was delayed, so they didn't ask him to finish the game after the lengthy delay. So they lost.

11) According to ESPN's Fran Fraschilla, who knows stuff about basketball, over the last 15 years, if you take the top 100 high school basketball players each year, so thats 1,500 kids, only 27% of them have made the NBA.

10) There were conflicting reports this week that the New Orleans Saints may or may not move their training camp from Greenbrier, WV to Metairie, LA because of all the flooding in the West Virginia area. Nick Faldo owns a home at Greenbrier, which is a very fancy resort area, tucked away in the hills.

9) Angels' pitchers Garrett Richards/Andrew Heaney both have elbow injuries, but instead of having Tommy John surgery, they're getting stem cell injections to try and heal the injury without surgery, which would reduce recovery time from a year to 12 weeks or so. If this works, it'll revolutionize how teams treat pitchers.

8) Tennis star/model/PED cheater Maria Sharapova is spending part of her suspension attending Harvard Business School, making her by far, the best looking Ivy League nitwit. Imagine being a college professor and having her come in during office hours for extra help?

7) A new business recently opened near my house-- Beer Universe, which claims to sell over 1,000 different types of beer. Last business that building housed was a place that sold clothes/toys for newborn babies and little kids.

I had no idea there were over 1,000 kinds of beer, but a relative of mine owns part of Evil Genius beer, which may or may not be named after Vince McMahon.

6) Milwaukee Brewer TV guys told an interesting story Sunday about how umpire supervisor Bruce Froemming "had a talk" with them about criticizing umpires on the air. Brian Anderson/Bill Schroeder made light of the meeting, but they made sure it got out over the air, which means they probably weren't real happy about it.

Those two are good natured and not controversial; seems like anytime anyone tells the truth on local baseball telecasts, either the players or umps get ticked off.

5) Rams-Giants play in England October 23, if England still exists by then; I notice yesterday that the game starts at 9:30 ET, which is not good. When is a guy supposed to sleep? College games will be on until around 2am the night before-- I feel bad for the ticket writers in Las Vegas sportsbooks-- thats a 6:30am kickoff in the desert.

4) Denver Broncos' public address announcer quit after 16 years, to be the PA announcer for the Vikings-- apparently the guy grew up in Minnesota.

3) Brewers' pitcher Jimmy Nelson left Sunday's game after five innings, having not allowed a hit, but once Washington got a hit, the scorer changed an earlier ruling and gave Washington hit on an earlier play, a hard-hit ball at the second baseman.

I was an official scorer in the Eastern League 30 years ago; the first thing they told me was "The first hit has to clearly be a hit", which clearly fits this situation, but that was so frustrating. Either it is or isn't a hit; lot of politics in official scoring, and that was before fantasy baseball, where thousands of people might have a financial stake in how a play is scored, one way or the other.

2) This bears repeating; Kris Bryant is the first player EVER to hit three homers and two doubles in the same game. Wow.

1) MLB and the players' union needs to compromise for the good of the game; do away with the DH and go with 27-man rosters. With David Ortiz retiring, this would be a good time to get rid of the DH. Trading the DH for 60 (or 64, after expansion) extra jobs should appeal to the players' union. Common sense rarely wins out.

[StarDust Bum]

WNBA
Dunkel

Wednesday, June 29


Indiana @ Chicago

Game 653-954
June 29, 2016 @ 12:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Indiana
107.580
Chicago
116.650
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Chicago
by 9
172
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Chicago
by 7
165
Dunkel Pick:
Chicago
(-7); Over

New York @ Minnesota

Game 655-656
June 29, 2016 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
New York
110.721
Minnesota
118.613
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Minnesota
by 8
164
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Minnesota
by 10
157
Dunkel Pick:
New York
(+10); Over

Connecticut @ Phoenix

Game 657-658
June 29, 2016 @ 10:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Connecticut
100.661
Phoenix
116.770
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Phoenix
by 16
172
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Phoenix
by 12 1/2
177
Dunkel Pick:
Phoenix
(-12 1/2); Under

San Antonio @ Washington

Game 651-652
June 29, 2016 @ 11:30 am

Dunkel Rating:
San Antonio
102.580
Washington
110.796
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Washington
by 8
150
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Washington
by 10 1/2
154
Dunkel Pick:
San Antonio
(+10 1/2); Under




WNBA
Long Sheet

Wednesday, June 29

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SAN ANTONIO (3 - 11) at WASHINGTON (8 - 8) - 6/29/2016, 11:30 AM
Top Trends for this game.
SAN ANTONIO is 10-2 ATS (+7.8 Units) in road games in June games over the last 3 seasons.
SAN ANTONIO is 19-9 ATS (+9.1 Units) in road games in May, June, or July games over the last 3 seasons.
SAN ANTONIO is 12-2 ATS (+9.8 Units) in road games against Eastern conference opponents over the last 3 seasons.
SAN ANTONIO is 10-2 ATS (+7.8 Units) in road games after a non-conference game over the last 3 seasons.
SAN ANTONIO is 12-2 ATS (+9.8 Units) in road games in non-conference games over the last 3 seasons.
SAN ANTONIO is 9-1 ATS (+7.9 Units) in road games off an upset win as an underdog over the last 3 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 287-341 ATS (-88.1 Units) in all games since 1997.
WASHINGTON is 53-78 ATS (-32.8 Units) when playing with 2 days rest since 1997.

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

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INDIANA (6 - 9) at CHICAGO (6 - 8) - 6/29/2016, 12:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
INDIANA is 28-16 ATS (+10.4 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent over the last 3 seasons.
INDIANA is 11-3 ATS (+7.7 Units) off an upset win as an underdog over the last 2 seasons.
CHICAGO is 4-12 ATS (-9.2 Units) in home games after allowing 75 points or more over the last 2 seasons.
CHICAGO is 13-23 ATS (-12.3 Units) after scoring 75 points or more over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
CHICAGO is 8-7 against the spread versus INDIANA over the last 3 seasons
CHICAGO is 10-6 straight up against INDIANA over the last 3 seasons
8 of 16 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

NEW YORK (10 - 5) at MINNESOTA (13 - 2) - 6/29/2016, 8:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
NEW YORK is 32-21 ATS (+8.9 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
NEW YORK is 12-4 ATS (+7.6 Units) as an underdog over the last 2 seasons.
NEW YORK is 19-5 ATS (+13.5 Units) in road games over the last 2 seasons.
NEW YORK is 76-50 ATS (+21.0 Units) in road games against Western conference opponents since 1997.
NEW YORK is 76-50 ATS (+21.0 Units) in road games in non-conference games since 1997.
NEW YORK is 10-2 ATS (+7.8 Units) in road games after allowing 75 points or more over the last 2 seasons.
NEW YORK is 14-4 ATS (+9.6 Units) in road games after scoring 75 points or more over the last 2 seasons.
NEW YORK is 11-3 ATS (+7.7 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
NEW YORK is 59-37 ATS (+18.3 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a winning record after 15+ games since 1997.

Head-to-Head Series History
NEW YORK is 4-1 against the spread versus MINNESOTA over the last 3 seasons
NEW YORK is 3-2 straight up against MINNESOTA over the last 3 seasons
4 of 5 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

CONNECTICUT (3 - 12) at PHOENIX (6 - 9) - 6/29/2016, 10:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
PHOENIX is 54-35 ATS (+15.5 Units) on Wednesday since 1997.
PHOENIX is 8-0 ATS (+8.0 Units) after 3 or more consecutive overs over the last 3 seasons.
CONNECTICUT is 19-8 ATS (+10.2 Units) in June games over the last 3 seasons.
CONNECTICUT is 13-4 ATS (+8.6 Units) in road games against Western conference opponents over the last 3 seasons.
CONNECTICUT is 13-4 ATS (+8.6 Units) in road games in non-conference games over the last 3 seasons.
CONNECTICUT is 122-88 ATS (+25.2 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent since 1997.
PHOENIX is 20-31 ATS (-14.1 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
PHOENIX is 12-23 ATS (-13.3 Units) as a favorite over the last 2 seasons.
PHOENIX is 7-16 ATS (-10.6 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
CONNECTICUT is 4-1 against the spread versus PHOENIX over the last 3 seasons
PHOENIX is 3-2 straight up against CONNECTICUT over the last 3 seasons
5 of 5 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------




WNBA

Wednesday, June 29

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trend Report
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

11:30 AM
SAN ANTONIO vs. WASHINGTON
San Antonio is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games on the road
San Antonio is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing Washington
The total has gone OVER in 16 of Washington's last 19 games
Washington is 2-7 SU in its last 9 games when playing at home against San Antonio

12:30 PM
INDIANA vs. CHICAGO
Indiana is 2-8 SU in its last 10 games when playing Chicago
Indiana is 2-6-1 ATS in its last 9 games when playing Chicago
Chicago is 6-2-1 ATS in its last 9 games when playing Indiana
Chicago is 8-2 SU in its last 10 games when playing Indiana

8:00 PM
NEW YORK vs. MINNESOTA
New York is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games
The total has gone OVER in 6 of New York's last 9 games
The total has gone UNDER in 15 of Minnesota's last 23 games when playing New York
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Minnesota's last 5 games when playing New York

10:00 PM
CONNECTICUT vs. PHOENIX
Connecticut is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games when playing Phoenix
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Connecticut's last 7 games when playing on the road against Phoenix
The total has gone OVER in 9 of Phoenix's last 11 games
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Phoenix's last 12 games at home

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Stars (3-11) at Mystics (8-8)
Date: June 29, 2016 11:30 AM EDT

The Washington Mystics, coming off an impressive defensive performance against defending WNBA champion Minnesota, takes aim at the lowest-scoring team in the league Wednesday afternoon.

Washington (8-8) will play host to the San Antonio Stars, averaging 74.2 points per game and shooting 40.6 percent from the field, also a league-worst. The Stars (3-11) are last in the Western Conference.

The Mystics on Sunday defeated the visiting Lynx 87-63 at the Verizon Center, handing Minnesota just its second loss of the season. Washington limited forward Maya Moore to five points (14 below her average) and held guard Seimone Augustus scoreless for the first time in her 11-year WNBA career.

"It started on our defensive end," Washington guard Tayler Hill said on WNBA.com. "We came out with so much energy and pressure in full court and that translated into our offense."

Hill and forward Emma Meesseman are each having the best seasons of their careers. Meesseman, who scored 16 of her 20 points against Minnesota in the first quarter, is averaging 15.1 points per game. Hill is at a team-best 15.8.

Meesseman was the WNBA leader in 3-point shooting (54.2 percent) entering Tuesday night's league action.

Defensively, the Mystics' focus will be on San Antonio's Kayla McBride. The third-year guard is averaging 18.6 points per game and is coming off a 28-point effort in Saturday's 73-69 victory over the Atlanta Dream. That ended a four-game skid for the Stars.

"I was just sick of losing close games. I'm serious," McBride said. "As a leader and as a competitor, I felt like I had to step up. There were contributions from everybody, but to bring that energy and to be that leader and that scorer that I like to be, that was good for us."

Washington has won six of its past eight games to get to .500 for the second time after an 0-3 start. San Antonio, which is 0-6 away from home, is starting a three-game road trip that includes visits to Indiana and Minnesota.

This is the first meeting of the season between the teams. The Mystics won both matchups in 2015.


WNBA HEAD TO HEAD

Aug 5, 2015 Score ATS Results
SA 63 Cover: 7
WAS « 66 Under: 129
Tools: Recaps

Jul 31, 2015 Score ATS Results
WAS « 88 Cover: 33.5
SA 53 Under: 141
Tools:

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Fever (6-9) at Sky (6-8)
Date: June 29, 2016 12:30 PM EDT

The Indiana Fever are hoping a lineup change pays dividends for the second game in a row.

Indiana, coming off a 92-87 victory at Dallas, plays at Chicago on Wednesday afternoon. The Fever (6-9) and the Sky (6-8) are battling for the last couple of spots in the eight-team playoff as the league nears the halfway point of the season.

Indiana coach Stephanie White inserted guard Erica Wheeler and forward Lynetta Kizer into the starting lineup against Dallas on Saturday. Wheeler scored 15 and Kizer added six as the Fever ended the Wings' four-game winning streak.

"We're looking to find a lineup that can start the game really well on both ends of the floor, looking to find players who can give us a punch off the bench, and looking for the consistency to sustain that for a 40-minute ballgame," White said.

"It was just something that we did because we wanted to see what a different lineup looked like because we needed to find a way to start the game and third quarter better."

Despite the win Saturday, Indiana has lost five of its past seven games.

Chicago has dropped four of five, including an 80-79 decision at the New York Liberty on Friday, when forward Elena Delle Donne scored a season-high 31 points. She leads the Sky with an average of 19.7 points per game.

Guard Cappie Pondexter is the team's other double-digit scorer, averaging 13.6.

The Fever also have two double-digit scorers -- forward Tamika Catchings (13.0) and guard Tiffany Mitchell (11.9).

The Sky won the season's first matchup against the Fever, 73-64 on June 10. Imani Boyette, a 6-foot-7 rookie center from Texas, posted her first career double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds.

Indiana shoots just 27.3 percent from 3-point range -- ranking 11th in the 12-team league -- and that was a factor in the first meeting against Chicago. The Fever was only 4 of 24 from behind the arc in the loss. Guard Briann January led Indiana in that game with 17 points.


WNBA HEAD TO HEAD

Jun 10, 2016 Score ATS Results
CHI « 73 Cover: 7.5
IND 64 Under: 137
Tools: Recaps

Sep 21, 2015 Score ATS Results
IND « 100 Cover: 15.5
CHI 89 Over: 189
Tools:

Sep 19, 2015 Score ATS Results
CHI 82 Over: 171
IND « 89 Cover: 3.5
Tools:

Sep 17, 2015 Score ATS Results
IND 72 Cover: 0
CHI « 77 Under: 149
Tools:

Aug 4, 2015 Score ATS Results
IND 82 Over: 188
CHI « 106 Cover: 18
Tools: Recaps

Jun 26, 2015 Score ATS Results
CHI « 83 Cover: 3
IND 77 Under: 160
Tools: Recaps

Jun 14, 2015 Score ATS Results
CHI « 98 Cover: 23
IND 72 Over: 170
Tools: Recaps

Jun 5, 2015 Score ATS Results
IND 72 Over: 167
CHI « 95 Cover: 16.5
Tools: Recaps

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Liberty (10-5) at Lynx (13-2)
Date: June 29, 2016 8:00 PM EDT

Two of the top teams in the WNBA will meet for the second time this season when the New York Liberty visits the Minnesota Lynx on Wednesday at Target Center in Minneapolis.

Minnesota (13-2) is coming off back-to-back losses after winning 13 in a row to set a WNBA record for most consecutive victories to start a season. The losses dropped the Lynx to second in the WNBA's Western Conference, a half-game behind Los Angeles (13-1).

Minnesota suffered a 94-76 loss to Los Angeles on Friday and an 87-63 loss to Washington on Sunday.

The Lynx never recovered after being outscored 33-13 in the first quarter against Washington. Renee Montgomery scored 15 points and Sylvia Fowles had 13. Maya Moore, one of the league's stars, was held to five points on 2-of-9 shooting from the field, and Seimone Augustus was held scoreless for the first time in her illustrious career.

Minnesota coach Cheryl Reeve was not pleased with her team's performance.

"We were down 20 in the first quarter, if I'm not mistaken, let alone the first half," Reeve said. ""What I shared with the team was not something I'd be able to tell you, to be honest with you."

New York (10-5) is coming off a 104-97 overtime loss to Phoenix after winning six in a row. The Liberty sit atop the Eastern Conference, 1 1/2 games ahead of Atlanta (8-6).

Tina Charles had 26 points, eight rebounds and five assists in the loss to Phoenix but made just 12 of 27 shots from the field. Sugar Rodgers had 23 points and Shavonte Zellous added 13.

Minnesota beat New York 79-69 when they met May 31 at Madison Square Garden. Moore led all scorers with 25 points. Charles had 23 points and 11 rebounds for New York.

The Lynx shot 49.2 percent from the field in that game while holding the Liberty to 40.4 percent shooting.


WNBA HEAD TO HEAD

May 31, 2016 Score ATS Results
MIN « 79 Cover: 4.5
NEW 69 Under: 148
Tools: Recaps

Sep 6, 2015 Score ATS Results
NEW « 75 Cover: 6.5
MIN 71 Over: 146
Tools: Recaps

Aug 28, 2015 Score ATS Results
MIN 68 Over: 149
NEW « 81 Cover: 9.5
Tools: Recaps

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Sun (3-12) at Mercury (6-9)
Date: June 29, 2016 10:00 PM EDT

Kelsey Bone will face her former team for the first time just days after she was traded when the Phoenix Mercury plays host to the Connecticut Sun on Wednesday at Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix.

Phoenix (6-9) acquired the WNBA All-Star on Saturday. In exchange, Connecticut (3-12) received rookie Courtney Williams, the rights to 2016 second-round pick Jillian Alleyne and San Antonio's 2017 second-round draft pick that was acquired by Phoenix earlier this season.

Bone, a 6-foot-4, 215-pound forward/center, averaged 15.4 points and 6.3 rebounds for Connecticut last season. She garnered her first All-Star selection and was named the WNBA's Most Improved Player. She joins a front line that already includes Brittney Griner, Candice Dupree and Penny Taylor.

"In-season trades rarely net you an All-Star like Kelsey Bone," Mercury general manager Jim Pitman said. "Even though she is in just her fourth year, Kelsey is an established talent in our league and we think this deal makes us a better team today and in the future.

"She competes, she rebounds, has great size, and plays with great strength and toughness on both ends of the floor. We are excited about her potential here in Phoenix."

The Mercury will try to achieve its first three-game winning streak after winning its last two games to improve to fourth in the Western Conference. The Mercury beat the Washington Mystics 91-79 on Friday and upset the New York Liberty, the top team in the Eastern Conference, 104-97 in overtime on Sunday.

Dupree had 26 points and eight rebounds against New York. Diana Taurasi, who was named Western Conference Player of the Week on Monday, had 24 points. Bone scored six points in eight minutes off the bench in her Phoenix debut.

Connecticut has lost two in a row and five of its last six. The Sun, who are in the midst of a four-game trip, are coming off an 80-73 loss to the Los Angeles Sparks. Chiney Ogwumike had 16 points and eight rebounds, Jasmine Thomas scored 14 points, and Alyssa Thomas had 11 points, nine rebounds and seven assists.


WNBA HEAD TO HEAD

May 31, 2016 Score ATS Results
CONN 90 Cover: 3
PHO « 99 Over: 189
Tools: Recaps

Aug 27, 2015 Score ATS Results
PHO « 81 Over: 161
CONN 80 Cover: 6.5
Tools: Recaps

Jun 19, 2015 Score ATS Results
CONN « 90 Cover: 17.5
PHO 78 Over: 168
Tools: Recaps

[StarDust Bum]

Standings

EASTERN CONFERENCE

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

New York Liberty 10 5 0.667 0 4-4 6-1 6-1 8-2 L-1

Atlanta Dream 8 7 0.533 2 4-3 4-4 6-4 4-6 L-4

Washington Mystics 8 8 0.500 2 3-6 5-2 5-3 6-4 W-1

Chicago Sky 6 8 0.429 3 3-2 3-6 4-3 5-5 L-1

Indiana Fever 6 9 0.400 4 3-4 3-5 2-5 4-6 W-1

Connecticut Sun 3 12 0.200 7 2-6 1-6 0-7 2-8 L-2



WESTERN CONFERENCE

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

Los Angeles Sparks 14 1 0.933 0 7-1 7-0 7-1 9-1 W-3

Minnesota Lynx 13 2 0.867 1 5-1 8-1 7-1 8-2 L-2

Dallas Wings 7 9 0.438 7 4-5 3-4 5-3 4-6 L-2

Seattle Storm 6 9 0.400 8 4-4 2-5 2-5 4-6 W-2

Phoenix Mercury 6 9 0.400 8 4-3 2-6 1-8 5-5 W-2

San Antonio Stars 3 11 0.214 10 3-5 0-6 1-5 2-8 W-1


Updated Wed Jun 29 9:37 AM EDT

[StarDust Bum]

6/26- Results: 2 - 4

Overall : WLT PCT UNITS

ATS Picks 35-38-3 47.95% -3400

O/U Picks 42-34-0 55.26% +2300


WEDNESDAY, JUNE 29

GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

SA at WAS 11:30 AM

SA +9.5

U 154.0


IND at CHI 12:30 PM

IND +7.0

U 166.0


NY at MIN 08:00 PM

NY +10.5

O 157.0


CONN at PHO 10:00 PM

PHO -13.5

O 176.5

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo: Thursday's six-pack

-- Andrew Luck signed a six-year, $140M contract extension with the Colts.

-- Vernon Adams transferred from a I-AA school to play at Oregon LY to help his chances of playing in NFL, but now he is a backup for the Montreal Alouettes.

-- Edmonton Oilers traded Taylor Hall to New Jersey for Adam Larsson, in an attempt to bolster their defense. Trade was widely criticized on social media.

-- Some NBA teams instruct their players to call officials by their first name, not just call them "ref".

-- ESPN.com has Shaquille O'Neal's son Shareef ranked #60 in Class of 2018.

-- National championship college baseball game was rained out last night, game will be played at 1:00 this afternoon. Thats Arizona vs Coastal Carolina

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

13) Can you imagine if they ever put the DH in the National League, what games at Coors Field would be like? Teams would score 20+ runs several times a year.

12) Put it this way: Colorado is 12-2 at home this season when their starting pitcher throws 6+ innings and allow four or less runs. They're 6-18 in other home games.

11) Bad Beat of the Week: under 8.5 in Cubs-Reds Tuesday night. Game was 2-2 all the way into the 15th inning, when Cubs scored five times in top of the 15th. Oy.

10) Crowd at College World Series for Game 2 off the best-of-3 series was 24,716, which means the CWS is a pretty good money maker.

9) Jose Quintana has eight losses this year; White Sox scored a total of nine runs in those eight games.

8) Seattle Seahawks are 53-27 the last five years, thanks to a +55 turnover margin.

7) Zach Greinke left Tuesday's game with an oblique injury, making Arizona's year even more of a disaster than it already has been. Diamondbacks are 13-27 at home but 23-17 on the road, which makes very little sense.

6) Golfer Billy Hurley III qualified for the British Open by winning at Congressional last week; but will pass on going over the pond to go to his sister's wedding. Taking his place in the British Open field is Jim Herman.

5) Australian Peter Hooley, who helped put the "great" in Albany Great Danes for four years, will play pro basketball for the Plymouth Raiders in Great Britain.

4) Since 2007, the best single-season turnover margins were the 2011 49ers and 2010 Patriots, both of which had +28 margins.

3) Oakland Raiders were +1 in turnovers LY, after being -50 combined over the last six seasons. Winning the turnover battle is a big step in learning how to win. I'm going to have more on NFL teams and turnovers next month.

2) Odd note about umpire Vic Carapazza; his last five games behind the plate were all matchups between two lefty pitchers. Doesn't happen a lot.

1) Texas Longhorns scooped up four of the five recruits who bolted Baylor after coach Art Briles was let go. Texas is now #7 in this year's recruiting rankings.