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**Udog** · 10-20-2016, 07:40 AM

Armadillo: Thursday's six-pack

Some football trends to consider for Week 7………

— Chicago is 7-17-1 vs spread in last 25 NFC North games.

— Falcons covered seven of their last nine games.

— Patriots are 5-13 vs spread in last 18 games as a road favorite.

— Houston is 10-4-1 vs spread in its last fifteen games.

— Oakland covered its last six road games.

— Seattle is 10-5 vs spread in last fifteen NFC West games.

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Armadillo: Thursday's List of 13: NFL’s top 10 and bottom 3……

32) Browns— Jimmy Haslam owns the Browns; apparently his brother Bill is the governor of Tennessee. Wonder if they bet on last week’s game with the Titans and if so, did the governor give his brother seven points?

31) 49ers— San Francisco has allowed 42 pts/game in losing all three road games- they’ve been outscored 54-17 in second half of their last two games.

30) Jets— Geno Smith gets the nod under center for Gang Green this week; not sure why they have four QB’s, two who have never played in the NFL, but they do. Short week this week for their game with the Ravens.

10) Steelers— Ready to drop them out of top 10 until Big Ben returns, but there isn’t anyone better to put ahead of them this week. Landry Jones has started two NFL games but didn’t last long in the one Steelers won.

9) Raiders— Why are they getting points in Jacksonville this week? They’re 3-0 on the road.

8) Bills— So much for trying to have balance on offense. Rex Ryan wanted them to run the ball more, so he fired the OC and told the new guy to run it more, which they have, and very well.

7) Redskins— Jay Gruden was a head coach for 162 games in the Arena League and UFL before he got his chance in the NFL— he’s a really good coach who paid his dues.

6) Broncos— Not sold on either of their QBs, but their defense is really good and they’re still the defending champs.

5) Seahawks— They’ve slipped some but with 14 rookies and a veteran core, expect them to play better as the season rolls along.

4) Cowboys— Why would you replace Dak Prescott? Dallas won their last five games, they won easily at Green Bay, Cowboys have it rolling. Don’t mess with a winning streak.

3) Falcons— Was just as impressed with them in their loss in Seattle as I was by their wins. Atlanta gained 269 yards IN THE THIRD QUARTER at Seattle last week.

2) Patriots— Wonder if Microsoft stock will take a hit now that Belichick has disowned the tablets teams use on the sideline.

1) Vikings— Sam Bradford went thru training camp with the Eagles, now he goes back to Philly in Week 7 as the starting QB of the hottest team in the league.

**Udog** · 10-20-2016, 07:43 AM

Lynx beat Sparks, WNBA Finals tied 2-2

LOS ANGELES (AP) Midway through the first quarter, Maya Moore was looking in her teammates' eyes, searching for clues as to how the game would go.

She could see their passion and resolve.

''I knew we were going to fight,'' she said.

Moore scored 31 points and Minnesota's defense held Nneka Ogwumike and Candace Parker in check to help the Lynx beat the Los Angeles Sparks 85-79 on Sunday night and force a decisive fifth game in the WNBA Finals.

''Every possession was so crucial and we just made more of them,'' Moore said.

Lindsay Whalen added 13 points, Seimone Augustus had 12 and Sylvia Fowles had 10 points and 13 rebounds in tying the series 2-2 and sending it back to Minneapolis, where the Lynx will try to win their record-tying fourth championship on Thursday.

''This is what a Finals game should look like,'' Minnesota coach Cheryl Reeve said. ''Both teams leaving it all on the floor.''

Ogwumike, the league MVP, scored 11 points on 5 of 10 shooting, while two-time MVP Parker scored 14 points and made 6 of 7 free throws for the Sparks, who were trying to close out their first title since 2002 in front of their fans at Staples Center.

Chelsea Gray led the Sparks with 20 points off the bench. She was 6 of 11 and made all four of her free throws.

The Sparks outscored the Lynx 10-4 to open the fourth, tying it at 69-all on Parker's driving bank shot as she fell out of bounds. Los Angeles got most of its points at the free throw line, going 6 of 9 in that span.

Whalen scored two straight baskets to put the Lynx back in front 73-69 on turnovers by Ogwumike and Kristi Toliver, who finished with 15 points.

''We'll replay this game in our minds and know we have to play with a little bit more poise down the stretch,'' Toliver said. ''Be more decisive.''

Trailing 77-72, Gray hit her fourth 3-pointer to draw the Sparks within two.

''We were trying, we were making things happen down the stretch,'' Los Angeles coach Brian Agler said. ''It's just the ability to play with poise down the stretch.''

The teams traded baskets and Minnesota led 79-77. Parker was called for a shooting foul on Rebekkah Brunson, who made both free throws for an 81-77 lead. Before Parker fouled Brunson, it appeared that Minnesota hadn't gotten the ball across halfcourt in time to avoid an 8-second violation. Replays suggested the ball was still in the backcourt when the shot clock was at 16.

''I think they forgot they had to get the ball over the line,'' Toliver said. ''But that's life. We can't leave it up to the officials to determine a series. We have to go take it.''

With 42 seconds left, Whalen lost the ball to Ogwumike. At the Sparks' end, Brunson stole it from Parker, who ended up getting whistled for the foul.

''I had it at one point and after that I didn't see what happened because I think I was on the floor,'' Whalen said. ''It was kind of a wild play.''

Moore stole an inbounds pass and Ogwumike fouled her with 4 seconds left. Moore made both to close out the win, missing just one of her 12 free throw attempts.

''We fought today,'' Ogwumike said. ''When it comes to focus and awareness, we can sharpen up there. We're going to fight again.''

The Lynx scored six in a row to take their largest lead, 52-42, early in the third, which ended in a 3-point contest. The Sparks made three, including two by Gray, and Moore hit two 3s for the Lynx, who led 65-59 going into the fourth. Moore scored 10 points in the third.

Minnesota dominated the Sparks 22-4 in fastbreak points and controlled the boards, 41-25.

STILL HURT

Janel McCarville missed her second straight game with a back injury, leaving the Lynx without her 6-foot-2 post presence.

FOUL TROUBLE

Brunson, who guarded Parker much of the time, finished with six points and five fouls. Fowles had four fouls.

KOBE & THE GIRLS

A bearded Kobe Bryant returned to the scene of some of his greatest career moments, watching courtside with wife Vanessa and their two daughters. Also on hand was Sparks co-owner Magic Johnson, who returned from Chicago where the Dodgers were playing the Cubs in the National League Championship Series at the same time. Lakers guard Lou Williams, Cedric the Entertainer and Marsai Martin of ''black-ish'' attended.

UP NEXT

Game 5 is Thursday in Minnesota.

**Udog** · 10-20-2016, 07:49 AM

WNBA
Long Sheet

Thursday, October 20

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LOS ANGELES (31 - 11) at MINNESOTA (33 - 8) - 10/20/2016, 8:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
MINNESOTA is 10-8 against the spread versus LOS ANGELES over the last 3 seasons
MINNESOTA is 12-6 straight up against LOS ANGELES over the last 3 seasons
11 of 18 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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WNBA

Thursday, October 20

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Trend Report
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8:00 PM
LOS ANGELES vs. MINNESOTA
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Los Angeles's last 11 games when playing on the road against Minnesota
Los Angeles is 3-14 SU in its last 17 games when playing on the road against Minnesota
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Minnesota's last 6 games at home
Minnesota is 13-1 SU in its last 14 games at home

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**Udog** · 10-20-2016, 02:49 PM

WNBA
Dunkel

Thursday, October 20

Los Angeles @ Minnesota

Game 609-610
October 20, 2016 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Los Angeles
119.072
Minnesota
121.650
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Minnesota
by 2 1/2
153
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Minnesota
by 6
157 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Los Angeles
(+6); Under

**Udog** · 10-21-2016, 01:53 AM

Ogwumike lifts Sparks to WNBA title 77-76

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) Nneka Ogwumike's short jumper with 3.1 seconds left gave the Los Angeles Sparks a 77-76 victory over the defending champion Minnesota Lynx for their first title in 14 years in the deciding game of the WNBA Finals on Thursday night.

The league MVP joined her teammates in celebration as a stunned crowd slowly filed out after finishing with 12 points and 12 rebounds. Candace Parker had 28 points and 12 rebounds to earn MVP honors of the Finals. It was Parker's first WNBA title.

Rebekkah Brunson made one of two free throws with 23 seconds left to give the Lynx a 74-73 lead. Parker answered with a layup on the other end that Maya Moore countered with a jumper with 15 seconds remaining. Ogwumike's first try for the win was off the mark, but she worked her way over to the loose ball for another attempt that she coolly swished.

Lindsay Wahlen's final shot from just inside halfcourt wasn't close, setting off Los Angeles' celebration.

Moore had 23 points and 11 assists for the Lynx, who fell short of matching the WNBA record of four championships. The Houston Comets won four straight titles from 1997-2000.

The Lynx played in the finals for the fifth time in the last six years. They won three.

Parker finally had help with the scoring when reserve Chelsea Gray reeled off 11 consecutive points for the Sparks. Gray capped that run with a smooth up-and-under layup to put them in front 60-59 early in the fourth quarter. Parker's putback with 3:06 left gave L.A. a 71-63 lead, putting the Lynx in trouble.

But Moore seized the moment with a 3-pointer that brought Minnesota within four points, and Parker forced an off-balance 3 on the other end.

Lindsay Whalen stole the ball from Kristi Toliver and finished the fast break with a layup to tie the game at 71, setting up the final flurry.

On the next play, Ogwumike hit a jumper that appeared to come after the shot clock expired. The officials signaled for a review, but never looked at the basket and Los Angeles led 73-71 with just over a minute left.

The WNBA's new postseason format with the field ordered by overall record regardless of conference sure worked well, leading to this classic matchup between the two teams that fought all summer for the top seed and featuring several of the league's biggest stars.

The game was remarkably close, with 11 lead changes and six ties in the first half alone. Moore gave Minnesota its biggest lead of the first 20 minutes with a pair of free throws in the closing seconds of the second quarter to make it 34-28.

The Sparks had an opportunity for a surge when Sylvia Fowles exited with an injury to her right hand, scoring on a fast break while Fowles was wincing in pain by the bench and out of the play and then picking up a bonus point on a free throw for Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve's technical foul.

Augustus and Renee Montgomery knocked down 3-pointers from the top of the key down the stretch of the third quarter, though, and Fowles soon re-entered the game. She made her presence felt with a powerful take to the rim for a layup and a 53-47 lead.

With the area schools out for fall conferences and the Lynx with the chance to repeat as champions for the first time, the crowd at Target Center was predictably packed to the rafters and bouncing to the blaring hip-hop beats well before tipoff. The sea of green T-shirts displaying the team slogan ''Roar,'' donned by roughly 90 percent of the fans, produced a deafening soundtrack from start to finish befitting a game for the trophy.

Even Magic Johnson was there, wearing all black while sitting courtside to root for the Sparks team he's a part-owner of and spoke to after the loss at home in Game 4 on Sunday. His presence was all the more impressive considering the Dodgers, the other pro club he's invested in, were playing baseball in Los Angeles at the same time in Game 5 of their National League championship series.

The Lynx had celebrity backing, too, with Timberwolves players including Karl-Anthony Towns, Andrew Wiggins, Ricky Rubio, Cole Aldrich and Nemanja Belica in the seats to support the women they share an arena with.

FOUL TROUBLE

Ogwumike joined Toliver and Essence Carson with three fouls in the first half and played less than 4 minutes in the second quarter.

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

If the finals return to Minnesota next year, the Lynx could have yet another place in which to try to pop the corks with a major renovation set for Target Center next summer. They'll play across the Mississippi River in St. Paul at Xcel Energy Center, the hockey home of the Minnesota Wild.

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Thursday's WNBA Trends and Indexes - 10/20

Thursday's WNBA Trends and Indexes - 10/20

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