The Bum's 2017 WNBA Picks-Trends-News !

[StarDust Bum]

WNBA

Wednesday, June 7

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Trend Report
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11:00 AM
ATLANTA vs. NEW YORK
The total has gone UNDER in 13 of Atlanta's last 18 games on the road
Atlanta is 3-7 SU in its last 10 games on the road
New York is 6-16 ATS in its last 22 games at home
New York is 9-2 SU in its last 11 games when playing Atlanta

7:00 PM
PHOENIX vs. INDIANA
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Phoenix's last 8 games when playing Indiana
Phoenix is 4-10 SU in its last 14 games on the road
Indiana is 2-4-1 ATS in its last 7 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Indiana's last 7 games when playing at home against Phoeni


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WNBA
Dunkel

Wednesday, June 7


Phoenix @ Indiana

Game 619-620
June 7, 2017 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Phoenix
113.804
Indiana
103.897
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Phoenix
by 10
154
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Phoenix
No Line
N/A
Dunkel Pick:
Phoenix
N/A

Atlanta @ New York

Game 617-618
June 7, 2017 @ 11:00 am

Dunkel Rating:
Atlanta
111.094
New York
111.848
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
New York
by 1
150
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
New York
by 3 1/2
158
Dunkel Pick:
Atlanta
(+3 1/2); Under




WNBA
Long Sheet

Wednesday, June 7

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ATLANTA (4 - 2) at NEW YORK (4 - 3) - 6/7/2017, 11:00 AM
Top Trends for this game.
NEW YORK is 15-6 ATS (+8.4 Units) in June games over the last 3 seasons.
NEW YORK is 7-16 ATS (-10.6 Units) in home games over the last 2 seasons.
NEW YORK is 7-16 ATS (-10.6 Units) in a home game where where the total is greater than or equal to 150 over the last 2 seasons.
NEW YORK is 5-13 ATS (-9.3 Units) in home games in May, June, or July games over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
NEW YORK is 5-3 against the spread versus ATLANTA over the last 3 seasons
NEW YORK is 6-2 straight up against ATLANTA 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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PHOENIX (4 - 3) at INDIANA (3 - 4) - 6/7/2017, 7:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
PHOENIX is 4-3 against the spread versus INDIANA over the last 3 seasons
INDIANA is 4-3 straight up against PHOENIX over the last 3 seasons
4 of 7 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Mercury (4-3) at Fever (3-4)
Date: June 07, 2017 7:00 PM EDT

The Indiana Fever will try to stay undefeated on their home court when they host the Phoenix Mercury on Wednesday night at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

Indiana (3-4) has won all three of its home games this season but is winless on the road. The Fever's most recent home defeat came on Sept. 16, 2016, against the Minnesota Lynx.

"Maybe the rims are a little bigger at home," Fever coach Pokey Chatman joked when asked about it by the team's official website. "I think it goes back to comfort, energy from the crowd, just the whole aura of a home game. When you arrive, (it's) your same routine, you can control the elements."

Phoenix (4-3) will provide a difficult challenge for the Fever regardless of the venue. The Mercury are 2-1 on the road this season with wins at San Antonio and Chicago.

The matchup marks the second meeting of the season between the teams. Three weeks ago, Phoenix rolled to an 85-62 win over Indiana at Talking Stick Resort Arena.

Mercury center Brittney Griner led all scorers with 32 points on 13-for-15 shooting in that game. Griner also pulled down 10 rebounds and blocked three shots in 30 minutes against the Fever.

Indiana has not been the only team that has struggled to contain Griner, a 6-foot-8 Baylor alum who was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2013 WNBA draft. In seven games this season, Griner is averaging 22.1 points, 8.3 rebounds and 3.0 blocks per game.

"B.G. impacts the game," Mercury coach Sandy Brondello told the team's official website this week. "That's the kind of player that she is."

The Mercury feature another legend, guard Diana Taurasi. She needs 73 points to set the WNBA's all-time scoring record.

In the teams' first meeting May 17, the Fever were led in scoring by forward Candice Dupree with 14 points in 28 minutes. Guard Tiffany Mitchell and center Natalie Achonwa added 11 points apiece off the bench in the 23-point loss.

Indiana has proved already this season that an ugly, early-season loss does not guarantee a similar result in the second game. The Fever lost by 27 points on the road to the Dallas Wings but held on for a 91-85 victory over the Wings at home on Saturday night.

As a team, Indiana is scoring an average of 77.3 points per game and allowing 87.0 points per game this season. The Fever are shooting 43.5 percent from the field and 30.7 percent from 3-point range.

Phoenix is averaging 80.9 points per game and allowing 73.6 points per game this season. The Mercury are shooting 42.2 percent from the field and 33.1 percent from beyond the arc.


WNB HEAD TO HEAD

May 17, 2017 Score ATS Results
IND 62 Under: 147
PHO « 85 Cover: 20
Tools: Recaps

Sep 21, 2016 Score ATS Results
PHO « 89 Cover: 6.5
IND 78 Over: 167
Tools: Recaps

Aug 30, 2016 Score ATS Results
PHO « 79 Cover: 11.5
IND 65 Under: 144
Tools: Recaps

Jul 8, 2016 Score ATS Results
IND « 78 Cover: 24
PHO 60 Under: 138
Tools: Recaps

May 18, 2016 Score ATS Results
PHO 93 Over: 190
IND « 97 Cover: 9
Tools: Recaps

[StarDust Bum]

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 7

GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

PHO at IND 07:00 PM

PHO -5.0

U 160.5

[StarDust Bum]

WNBA Capsules
June 6, 2017

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) Elena Delle Donne scored 23 points to help the Washington Mystics win their fifth straight with a 101-89 victory over the Dallas Wings on Tuesday night.

Washington led by at least seven points in the fourth quarter until the 2:34 mark when Dallas pulled to 89-83.

But Tierra Ruffin-Pratt answered with a floater in the lane and the Mystics grabbed two offensive rebounds on their next possession, leading to Kristi Toliver's 3-pointer from the corner for a 94-85 lead.

Toliver and Tayler Hill each added 17 points for Washington (6-2), which topped the century mark for the first time this season. Krystal Thomas and Ivory Latta scored 10 apiece.

Skylar Diggins-Smith had 23 points and seven assists for Dallas (3-5). Glory Johnson added 19 points and eight rebounds, and Allisha Gray, the WNBA's rookie of the month, was just 2-of-12 shooting for 12 points.

STORM 85, STARS 76

SAN ANTONIO (AP) - Breanna Stewart scored a season-high 22 points and grabbed eight rebounds, Alysha Clark added 17 points, and Seattle beat winless San Antonio.

Seattle had a 21-point lead early in the fourth quarter but San Antonio pulled to 75-69 with 2:49 left after Moriah Jefferson's back-to-back jumpers. Seattle responded with six straight points - four by Crystal Langhorne - for an 81-69 lead.

Langhorne scored 14 points, and Sue Bird and Jewell Loyd each added 10 for Seattle (5-2), which won its first road game this season.

Kayla McBride led San Antonio (0-8) with 21 points on 9-of-14 shooting. Jefferson and Isabelle Harrison had 10 apiece, and former Washington Husky Kelsey Plum was held to six points.

SPARKS 79, SKY 70

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Nneka Ogwumike had 20 points and 11 rebounds for her first double-double of the season, and Los Angeles beat Chicago.

Los Angeles was just 4-of-16 shooting in the third quarter, but scored on its first three possessions of the fourth for a 62-53 lead. Chicago got within 67-62, but Alana Beard's back-door cut for a layup and Chelsea Gray's basket in traffic made it a nine-point lead with 2:13 to go.

Beard finished with 18 points and Candace Parker added 12 for Los Angeles (4-2), which remained unbeaten at home.

Courtney Vandersloot scored 13 points and Allie Quigley added 12 for Chicago (1-7).

[StarDust Bum]

Griner's career-high 38 leads Mercury by Fever 98-90 in OT
June 7, 2017

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) Brittney Griner scored eight of Phoenix's first 10 points in overtime and finished with a career-high 38 to help the Mercury beat the Indiana Fever 98-90 on Wednesday night.

Griner, averaging 22 points, was 9 of 13 from the field in the first half for 23 points, but she played limited minutes in the third quarter because of foul trouble.

Her hook shot with three defenders around her gave Phoenix a 78-76 lead with 45.6 seconds left in regulation, but Erica Wheeler answered with a basket in traffic to tie it. Phoenix's Diana Taurasi didn't hit the rim on a contested 3-pointer and Wheeler missed a long jumper just before the buzzer.

Taurasi added 17 points for Phoenix (5-3). Griner grabbed nine rebounds and her first of two blocks moved her into sole possession of eighth place on the WNBA career list.

Wheeler scored a career-high 24 points and Candice Dupree added 23 for Indiana (3-5), which lost its first home game of the season. Briann January injured her left ankle early in the first quarter and did not return.

The Fever turned it over 21 times, but made 36 of 38 free throws.

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Charles, Liberty pound Dream 76-61
June 7, 2017

NEW YORK (AP) Tina Charles and Kiah Stokes have been dominating the boards lately, and that has translated into wins for the New York Liberty.

Charles had 18 points and 15 rebounds while Stokes added a career-best 17 boards to help the Liberty beat the Dream 76-61 on Wednesday in the annual school day matinee game. It's the second time in three games that the Liberty held a double-digit advantage in rebounding.

''Our coaches stress we have to box out and rebound to be a good defensive team,'' Stokes said. ''The fact Tina and I both had a lot shows how important we are to this team in rebounding. As long as we keep it up, we'll be a good team.''

New York held Atlanta to just 27 percent shooting, including the Dream going 1-for-13 from behind the 3-point line.

''We got killed on the boards and when you can't rebound you have less possession,'' Atlanta center Elizabeth Williams said. ''We didn't shoot well, that was clear. When you're not rebounding the ball, it's hard.''

Sugar Rodgers added 16 points for the Liberty (5-3), who have won three straight games.

New York jumped all over Atlanta (4-3), scoring the game's first seven points. After the Dream tied it at 7-all, the Liberty scored 15 of the next 21 points to take command. Charles scored 11 in the opening quarter and had 17 at halftime.

The Liberty led 47-29 at the half. Atlanta cut its deficit to 10 heading into the final period but could get only within eight.

Rookie Brittney Sykes and Tiffany Hayes led the Dream with 14 points.

''I came full circle and it was surreal,'' said Sykes, who grew up in Newark, New Jersey. ''When the Liberty were in Newark playing at the Prudential Center, I used to go to every single game with my high school teammates. For summers I watched them play. To be in the league I watched growing up is crazy.''

TIP-INS

Dream: Hayes was the WNBA player of the month for May and has scored in double figures in 16 consecutive games. ... Atlanta trailed Washington in its last game by 18 points before rallying to take a lead late in the game and falling just short. ... Sancho Lyttle played her final game for Atlanta before heading to play in the EuroBasket tournament with Spain.

Liberty: New York is 18-6 in June the past three seasons. ... The 29 points in the opening quarter were the Liberty's most in a period this season. ... Lindsay Allen had the first baskets of her pro career, hitting consecutive shots in the fourth quarter. Her college coach Muffet McGraw was in the stands looking on.

BROADWAY MATINEE

This is the fourth consecutive season that the Dream have played either a camp or school day game at Madison Square Garden. The Liberty have won three of the four games, with the only defeat coming in an exhibition contest in 2015. Atlanta will take part in four matinee games this season, two at home, two on the road. The game drew 14,7816 fans, the biggest crowd of the season.

UP NEXT

Dream: Visits Connecticut on Saturday.

Liberty: Hosts Seattle on Sunday to close out a five-game homestand.

[StarDust Bum]

SCHEDULE FOR FRIDAY JUNE 9, 2017
Time (ET) Away Home Site
7:00 PM Minnesota Lynx Washington Mystics Verizon Center
7:00 PM Seattle Storm Indiana Fever Bankers Life Fieldhouse
8:00 PM Los Angeles Sparks Dallas Wings College Park Center

SCHEDULE FOR SATURDAY JUNE 10, 2017
Time (ET) Away Home Site
7:00 PM Atlanta Dream Connecticut Sun Mohegan Sun Arena
8:00 PM Chicago Sky San Antonio Stars AT&T Center
10:00 PM Los Angeles Sparks Phoenix Mercury Talking Stick Resort Arena

SCHEDULE FOR SUNDAY JUNE 11, 2017
Time (ET) Away Home Site
3:00 PM Indiana Fever Washington Mystics Verizon Center
3:00 PM Seattle Storm New York Liberty Madison Square Garden
4:30 PM Minnesota Lynx Dallas Wings College Park Center

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LEAGUE STANDINGS

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

#1 Minnesota Lynx7 0 1.000 - 3-0 3-0 4-0 7-0 W 7

#2 Washington Mystics6 2 0.750 1.5 4-0 4-0 2-2 6-2 W 5

#3 Seattle Storm5 2 0.714 2 1-2 4-1 1-1 5-2 W 1

#4 Los Angeles Sparks4 2 0.667 2.5 1-0 3-0 1-2 4-2 W 2

#5 New York Liberty5 3 0.625 2.5 1-0 4-2 1-1 5-3 W 3

#6 Phoenix Mercury5 3 0.625 2.5 2-1 2-2 3-1 5-3 W 1

#7 Atlanta Dream4 3 0.571 3 2-3 2-1 2-2 4-3 L 2

#8 Dallas Wings3 5 0.375 4.5 2-2 1-2 2-3 3-5 L 3

#9 Indiana Fever3 5 0.375 4.5 1-0 3-1 0-4 3-5 L 1

#10 Connecticut Sun2 5 0.286 5 1-3 0-2 2-3 2-5 W 1

#11 Chicago Sky1 7 0.125 6.5 1-4 0-4 1-3 1-7 L 5

#12 San Antonio Stars0 8 0.000 7.5 0-4 0-4 0-4 0-8 L 8

[StarDust Bum]

Thursday’s six-pack

— Bob Stoops resigned after 18 years as Oklahoma’s football coach; 33-year old Lincoln Riley will be the Sooners’ coach this fall.

— Jake Lamb was the first big leaguer to 50 RBI this season.

— Masahiro Tanaka’s last five starts: 0-5, 10.72. Have to wonder if he is hurt.

— Dallas Keuchel (illness) was scratched from start with the Astros last night.

— Orioles 9, Pirates 6 (11)— Trey Mancini didn’t play until the 9th inning, but he knocked in five runs with two homers in two at-bats and Baltimore got a walk-off win here.

— Found re-runs of Green Acres on late night TV this week— tremendous!!!

Golden State 118, Cleveland 113– Warriors outscored Cleveland 11-0 over the last 3:10 of the game.

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Thursday’s List of 13: Some early college football knowledge…….

I went grocery shopping the other day; first thing I bought was a college football magazine. Here are some of the things I learned from that magazine……

13) There were 21 head coaching changes this offseason, including Texas-Oregon-Baylor.

12) Michigan State went from +14 in turnovers in 2015 to -5 last year, and the Spartans slipped to 3-9; the bounce of the ball can be fickle.

11) Michigan has a +9.1 yard advantage in field position, best in the country; they forced 3/outs on 34% of opponents’ drives last year.

10) Kansas has lost 41 straight road games; their last win on foreign soil was at Texas-El Paso in 2009. At least they’re not paying Charlie Weis anymore.

9) LSU scored an average of 37.9 pts/game in its eight wins, 9.3 in its four losses. Still think that firing Les Miles was a bad move for them.

8) Louisville averaged 7.2 yards per play last year, but has only four starters back on offense. Luckily for them, one of the four is QB Lamar Jackson. Oklahoma (7.5) was the only team in the country to average more yards per play.

7) Arkansas allowed 7.9 yards per play in SEC games, the worst of any team in the country in their conference games.

6) Difference between college football and college basketball; Athlon has 27 guys on its 1st team All-American football team (offense/defense/specialists)— three sophomores, 12 juniors, 12 seniors.

In basketball, the top two teams of consensus All-Americans: two freshmen, two sophomore, four juniors, only two seniors.

5) Average yards per play in college football last year was 5.8. Last time Wake Forest averaged more than 5.2 yards per play was 2009.

4) Tulsa ran the ball for 10+ yards on 103 plays LY, compared to 60 the year before, a big part of why scored 5.3 pts/game more than in 2015 ad increased their win total from six to 10.

3) West Virginia has only three starters back on defense; 59% of their tackles last year were by seniors. Mountaineers going to have to score a lot more points to compete this season.

2) By way of comparison, freshmen/sophomores made 52% of Oregon’s tackles, part of why they forced only 12 turnovers, but they should improve this season with those players returning and hopefully improving under a new coaching staff.

1) Washington Huskies covered their games last year by an average of 8.9 points per game, best in the country. Arizona failed to cover its games by an average of 10 points per game.

[StarDust Bum]

Date W/L/T % Units

06/07/2017................ 1-1-0................ 50.00% .................-0.50
06/06/2017................ 5-1-0................ 83.33%.............. +19.50
06/04/2017................ 1-3-0................ 25.00%............... -11.50
06/03/2017................ 3-3-0................ 50.00%................. -1.50
06/02/2017................ 0-2-0................. 0.00%................ -11.00
06/01/2017................ 1-1-0................ 50.00%................. -0.50

Totals:.....................11 - 12................47.82%.................- 6.00


best bets:
06/07/2017................ 1 - 1 - 0................ 50.00% .................-0.50
06/06/2017................ 5 - 1 - 0................ 83.33%.............. +19.50
06/04/2017................ 1 - 3 - 0................ 25.00%............... -11.50
06/03/2017................ 3 - 3 - 0................ 50.00%................. -1.50
06/02/2017.................0 - 2......................00.00%................-11.00
06/01/2017................ 1 - 1 - 0................ 50.00%................ -0.50



Totals:......................11 -12 ....................47.82%................- 6.00

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo: Friday's six-pack

What some professional athletes made in endorsements last year (not salary):

— Lebron James, $55M

— Steph Curry $35M

— Kevin Durant $34M

— Rory McIlroy $34M

— Clayton Kershaw $800,000

— Drew Brees $14M

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

13) One of these summers, the NBA should run a 64-player 1-on-1 contest, with proceeds going to charities of the players’ choice. Imagine the TV ratings this would generate?

NBA had it for two years in the early 70’s; they showed clips of the games at halftime of real games months later. Imagine the hype these days if Durant played Westbrook, or if Lebron played Steph Curry? This would be very big.

12) My friend Bob sent me stuff from YouTube to watch this week, clips of a HORSE game with Pete Maravich and Bob McAdoo in mid-70’s and a 1-on-1 game with JoJo White and Jeff Mullins from 1972. Winner of the ’72 1-on-1 contest got $15,000— that is tip money for guys today, but I do think this would be a very popular event.

Keith Jackson and Bill Russell were announcers for the 1-on-1 tournament; Don Criqui was doing the HORSE game. Good stuff from back when I was a kid.

11) Speaking of which, I found Green Acres re-runs on TV on late night TV this week. This was a goofy, silly comedy based in rural Hooterville— no gag was too stupid to use.

I tormented my parents by watching Green Acres re-runs as a kid; my father would just shake his head and laugh at me, then leave the room. Was fun to watch it for a couple of hours the other night; laughter is good.

10) With Bob Stoops retiring at Oklahoma, Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz is now the longest-tenured college football coach— Iowa hired him the day after Oklahoma hired Stoops.

9) The women’s softball coach at Oklahoma makes $495,000 a year. This surprised me.

8) There is a company in Switzerland that has a 4-hole miniature golf layout for workers to use when they need a break from their job. They say it helps stimulate creative thinking.

7) According to Catherine Willows on CSI, Keno has the worst odds of any casino game in Las Vegas. In CSI, her character’s father owned casinos, so I’m assuming that little tidbit is true.

6) FAU football coach Lane Kiffin offered a 6th grade QB a scholarship this week; kid’s dad is QB guru Steve Clarkson, who works with lot of high school kids trying to improve so they can get college scholarships.

What is the over/under on the the number of jobs Kiffin will have between now and when that 6th grader graduates high school?

5) Calgary 23, BC Lions 18— The CFL preseason is underway north of the border.

4) When Calvin Johnson retired from the Lions in March 2016, he repaid the club at least $1M of his signing bonus, which may help explain his negative comments about the team a few weeks ago. At that level, at the end of the day, it is all a very big business.

3) Quote of the Day, part 2:
“They will have to come over me to get him. As the saying goes, over my dead body.”
U of Arizona President Dr Robert Robbins, on the suggestion that Ohio State hire Arizona’s basketball coach, Sean Miller

2) Quote of the Day, part 3
“Learn baseball language. It’s pretty simple. You break it down pretty easy between pitching coach and pitcher after a long period of time.”
Red Sox TV analyst Jerry Remy, criticizing Masahiro Tanaka’s use of an interpreter when the pitching coach comes to mound

Red Sox were fairly quick in distancing themselves from Remy’s remarks.

1) How has Giants’ pitcher Hunter Strickland not had his hearing with MLB yet, over the Bryce Harper fracas? Damn fight was May 29; today is June 9. What takes so long???

[StarDust Bum]

WNBA

Friday, June 9

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Trend Report
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7:00 PM
SEATTLE vs. INDIANA
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Seattle's last 9 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Seattle's last 7 games when playing Indiana
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Indiana's last 5 games
Indiana is 8-2-1 ATS in its last 11 games when playing Seattle

7:00 PM
MINNESOTA vs. WASHINGTON
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Minnesota's last 6 games on the road
Minnesota is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Washington
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Washington's last 6 games when playing Minnesota
Washington is 3-8 ATS in its last 11 games at home

8:00 PM
LOS ANGELES vs. DALLAS
Los Angeles is 4-10 ATS in its last 14 games when playing on the road against Dallas
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Los Angeles's last 5 games when playing Dallas
Dallas is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Dallas's last 7 games at home

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WNBA
Dunkel

Friday, June 9


Los Angeles @ Dallas

Game 625-626
June 9, 2017 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Los Angeles
120.125
Dallas
103.597
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Los Angeles
by 16 1/2
157
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Los Angeles
by 7 1/2
167 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Los Angeles
(-7 1/2); Under

Seattle @ Indiana

Game 623-624
June 9, 2017 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Seattle
112.999
Indiana
107.495
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Seattle
by 5 1/2
157
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Seattle
by 2 1/2
163
Dunkel Pick:
Seattle
(-2 1/2); Under

Minnesota @ Washington

Game 621-622
June 9, 2017 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Minnesota
118.317
Washington
117.449
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Minnesota
by 1
153
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Minnesota
by 5
161
Dunkel Pick:
Washington
(+5); Under




WNBA
Long Sheet

Friday, June 9

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MINNESOTA (7 - 0) at WASHINGTON (6 - 2) - 6/9/2017, 7:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
WASHINGTON is 5-0 against the spread versus MINNESOTA over the last 3 seasons
WASHINGTON is 3-2 straight up against MINNESOTA over the last 3 seasons
4 of 5 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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SEATTLE (5 - 2) at INDIANA (3 - 5) - 6/9/2017, 7:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
INDIANA is 5-2 against the spread versus SEATTLE over the last 3 seasons
INDIANA is 4-3 straight up against SEATTLE over the last 3 seasons
5 of 7 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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LOS ANGELES (4 - 2) at DALLAS (3 - 5) - 6/9/2017, 8:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
DALLAS is 4-4 against the spread versus LOS ANGELES over the last 3 seasons
LOS ANGELES is 6-2 straight up against DALLAS over the last 3 seasons
5 of 8 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Lynx (7-0) at Mystics (6-2)
Date: June 09, 2017 7:00 PM EDT

WASHINGTON -- The undefeated Minnesota Lynx sitting atop the overall WNBA standings isn't stunning at all.

The Washington Mystics holding second place is unusual based on history, but not outlandish following the offseason trade for Elena Delle Donne. The question of how close Washington truly is to contending for a title gets the spotlight treatment when Minnesota visits the Verizon Center on Friday night.

There is no question the Lynx (7-0) represent a major road block for the entire league. Minnesota entered the 2017 season having reached the WNBA Finals in five of the previous six seasons, though the Lynx lost to the Los Angeles Sparks last year. Fueled by that setback, the three-time champions have opened the season 4-0 on the road, and five of their wins came by at least nine points.

Minnesota hammered Seattle 100-77 on Saturday on the Storm's home court despite getting only six points from Olympian Maya Moore. Sylvia Fowles scored 26 points and Rebekkah Brunson had 21 against the team with the second-best record in the Western Conference. The average margin of victory over the Lynx's past three games is a whopping 17 points.

Fowles, who was named Western Conference Player of the Month for May, ranks among the top three league-wide in scoring (20.9), rebounding (10.1) steals (2.1) and blocks (2.3). The 6-foot-5 center is hardly the only notable on the starry roster.

"We've got players playing really well. We have Sylvia Fowles playing some of the best basketball of her career," Minnesota coach Cheryl Reeve told the team's website. "This is a veteran team. ... We're having fun. This is a group that has been together a long time, and this just never gets old to us."

What's happening in Washington (6-2) is new. The Mystics, though armed with several intriguing young players, went 13-21 last season. The organization has posted winning records only twice since 2007. Washington also has never had a player like Delle Donne, the 2015 league MVP.

Acquired in a blockbuster trade with the Chicago Sky in January, Delle Donne has provided Washington with high-impact play all over the court. The 6-foot-5 scoring threat is averaging 20.6 points and shooting 95 percent (57 of 60) from the free-throw line.

Delle Donne scored 23 points in Washington's 101-89 win at Dallas on Tuesday. Guards Tayler Hill and Kristi Toliver each had 17 points in the Mystics' fifth straight win. Washington outscored the Wings 27-17 in the second quarter and fended off a fourth-quarter push. Dallas shot 37.7 percent from the field.

"It was up and down, but I thought we played with the pace that we wanted to," Toliver said. "Dallas is a tough team, they're going to come back at you. They made a lot of runs. We made ours. But overall, it was a good game for us to grind out a win on the road."

Another Mystics guard, Natasha Cloud, had a solid all-around game against Dallas, finishing with eight points, eight rebounds and seven assists.

Washington is second in the league with an average of 37.6 rebounds per game, but Minnesota tops all teams in offensive rebounding with 11.1 per contest.

"That's a big part of what they do," Reeve said of Washington's rebounding. "If we don't get that done Friday, we are going to have a problem. It's going to be tough. They are going to be really, really tough."

Nobody has to tell the Mystics how tough the Lynx are across the board.

"We've got Minnesota coming in, they're playing great basketball, they've got a bunch of superstars," Delle Donne said. "So, defensively, we're really going to have to step up our game. Offensively, we're going to have to keep up the tempo and let the pace help us."


WNB HEAD TO HEAD

Sep 2, 2016 Score ATS Results
WAS 69 Cover: 5.5
MIN « 75 Under: 144
Tools: Recaps

Jun 26, 2016 Score ATS Results
MIN 63 Under: 150
WAS « 87 Cover: 32
Tools: Recaps

Jun 11, 2016 Score ATS Results
MIN « 83 Over: 159
WAS 76 Cover: 0.5
Tools: Recaps

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Storm (5-2) at Fever (3-5)
Date: June 09, 2017 7:00 PM EDT

The Seattle Storm will try to complete a regular-season series sweep of the Indiana Fever when the teams meet for the third and final time of the season Friday night at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

Seattle (5-2) already has notched two wins against Indiana (3-5) in the past month. The Storm emerged with an 87-82 victory over the Fever on May 14, and they cruised to a 94-70 win on May 28.

Both of those games were played in Seattle. The Friday matchup could be more difficult for the Storm in Indianapolis, where the Fever have posted all three of their wins this season. Indiana's unbeaten streak at home finally came to an end Wednesday night in a 98-90 overtime loss to Phoenix.

The Storm have won five of their past six games and sit two games back of the Minnesota Lynx (7-0) for the top spot in the WNBA standings. Seattle is 1-1 on the road entering Friday's contest.

The Fever have lost three of their past four games to slip two games below .500. Indiana needs a win to join Washington, Seattle and New York as the only teams with four home victories this season.

Seattle is averaging 82.7 points a game this season and allowing an average of 79.7 points a game on defense. The Storm are led in scoring by guard Jewell Loyd (18.1 points per game), forward Breanna Stewart (14.8) and forward Crystal Langhorne (14.0).

Veteran point guard Sue Bird, 36, is averaging 8.4 points and 8.2 assists for the Storm.

"On this team, we have a lot of weapons," Bird said to the Seattle Times. "So for me as the point guard, I'm just trying to get everybody in the right spots and then make basketball plays. You just have to read what the defense gives you. I think a lot of the assists that our entire team gets is about finding the open player and making the right play."

Indiana is averaging 78.9 points a game and allowing an average of 88.4 points a game on defense. The Fever are led in scoring by forward Candice Dupree (14.9 points per game), guard Tiffany Mitchell (12.1) and guard Shenise Johnson (10.3).

Guard Briann January has a left ankle injury, and her status for Friday is uncertain. If she is unable to play, guard Erica Wheeler would take on a larger role. Wheeler scored a career-high 24 points Wednesday but lamented a missed opportunity for her and her teammates to beat the Mercury.

"I think our defense was on point," Wheeler told the team's official website. "We did some good things. It was just turnovers down the stretch."


WNB HEAD TO HEAD

May 28, 2017 Score ATS Results
IND 70 Over: 164
SEA « 94 Cover: 18
Tools: Recaps

May 14, 2017 Score ATS Results
IND 82 Cover: 0.5
SEA « 87 Over: 169
Tools: Recaps

Jul 10, 2016 Score ATS Results
IND « 93 Cover: 8
SEA 82 Over: 175
Tools: Recaps

Jun 12, 2016 Score ATS Results
SEA « 90 Cover: 8
IND 88 Over: 178
Tools: Recaps

Jun 1, 2016 Score ATS Results
SEA 75 Under: 160
IND « 85 Cover: 3.5
Tools: Recaps

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Sparks (4-2) at Wings (3-5)
Date: June 09, 2017 8:00 PM EDT

Skylar Diggins-Smith and the Dallas Wings hope to take advantage of a Los Angeles Sparks team that has not played its best basketball away from home when the two teams meet at College Park Center in Arlington, Texas, on Friday.

Defending WNBA champion Los Angeles (4-2) lost its first two games on the road this season before routing the Liberty in New York on May 30. Meanwhile, Dallas (3-5) is just 1-2 at home on the campaign.

Nneka Ogwumike had 20 points and 11 rebounds, her first double-double of the season, and Alana Beard added 18 points as the Sparks overcame a cold-shooting third quarter to beat the visiting Chicago Sky 79-70 on Tuesday.

The Sparks are a perfect 3-0 at home and have won two straight overall despite allowing opponents to shoot 47.7 percent from the field, which ranks second-worst in the WNBA.

"Defensively, I felt like we are making some improvements," Sparks coach Brian Agler told swishappeal.com after notching his 300th career victory versus Chicago. "We're moving in the right way. I like that part of it, we just have to be more fluid offensively."

Diggins-Smith was tied for the game-high with 23 points and added seven assists, and Glory Johnson scored 19 for the Wings in Tuesday's 101-89 home loss to the Washington Mystics, the team's third straight defeat.

Training camp invite Kayla Thornton provided some pop off the bench with 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting for the Wings, who have lost five of seven overall.

"She's a sparkplug for us off the bench," Wings coach Fred Williams told The Dallas Morning News regarding Thornton, who is seventh on the team in scoring, averaging 7.8 per game. "For her to be what you would call a walk-on to come on with us and help us out, it's tremendous."

Dallas' defense has allowed 95 points per game during the losing streak. Diggins-Smith, meanwhile, is putting up solid numbers during the team's winless three-game stretch, averaging 20 points and five assists.

Odyssey Sims will make her return to the Dallas-Fort Worth area for the first time since the Wings traded her to the Sparks in the offseason. Sims, who played 34 games with Dallas in 2016, had seven points against the Sky and has been limited to three games this season because of an ankle injury.

It is the first of four meetings this season between Los Angeles and Dallas. The Sparks swept the three-game season series with the Wings last season, winning by an average margin of 12.3 points.


WNB HEAD TO HEAD

Sep 2, 2016 Score ATS Results
LOS « 87 Cover: 1.5
DAL 79 Over: 166
Tools: Recaps

Jun 28, 2016 Score ATS Results
DAL 84 Cover: 5.5
LOS « 89 Over: 173
Tools: Recaps

Jun 11, 2016 Score ATS Results
LOS « 97 Cover: 15
DAL 73 Over: 170
Tools: Recaps

[StarDust Bum]

FRIDAY, JUNE 9

GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

SEA at IND 07:00 PM

IND +5.5

O 164.0

MIN at WAS 07:00 PM

WAS +6.0

O 162.5

LA at DAL 08:00 PM

LA -7.0

U 168.5

[StarDust Bum]

WNBA Capsules
June 9, 2017

WASHINGTON (AP) Sylvia Fowles had 21 points and 11 rebounds, Lindsay Whalen became the winningest player in WNBA history, and the Minnesota Lynx eased by the short-handed Washington Mystics 98-73 on Friday night.

Whalen moved past Swin Cash with her 295th win in 13 seasons.

Minnesota scored 33 points in the first quarter and cruised to a 58-39 halftime lead behind Fowles' 17 points. She had her sixth 20-plus-point game and fifth double-double.

Rebekkah Brunson and Maya Moore each added 17 points for Minnesota (8-0). Seimone Augustus scored 14, Renee Montgomery 13 and Whalen had six assists. The Lynx finished with 30 assists on 40 field goals and shot 52.6 percent overall.

Elena Delle Donne (left groin) and Emma Meesseman did not play for Washington (6-3). Tayler Hill scored 20 points and Ivory Latta added 15 for the Mystics, who turned it over 15 times.

FEVER 83, STORM 80

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Erica Wheeler scored 19 points and Candice Dupree added her first double-double of the season with 16 points and 12 rebounds to help the Fever rally to beat the Storm.

Natalie Achonwa scored a career-high 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting for Indiana (4-5). Shenise Johnson added 12 points and Tiffany Mitchell scored 11.

Dupree's putback of a missed jumper by Mitchell capped a 12-2 run to open the fourth quarter and gave the Fever a 73-68 lead with 6:13 to play. Seattle's Sue Bird tied it at 73-all with a 3-pointer a minute later, but Indiana answered with five straight points and led the rest of the way.

Jewell Loyd banked in a jumper to get the Storm within three with 1:02 left, but after Breanna Stewart was called for a foul on the other end and Seattle coach Jenny Boucek drew a technical foul, Mitchell hit 2 of 4 free throws to give Indiana an 83-78 lead 41.6 seconds to go.

Loyd finished with 25 points and Stewart scored 23 with nine rebounds for the Storm (5-3).

WINGS 96, SPARKS 90

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) - Glory Johnson had a season-high 24 points and 12 rebounds and the Wings beat the Sparks.

Skylar Diggins-Smith added 13 points, eight rebounds and eight assists for the Wings (4-5), who had their highest scoring output of the season and snapped a three-game skid.

Kayla Thornton also scored 13 points, Theresa Plaisance added 11 and Kaela Davis had 10 for Dallas.

Los Angeles (4-3) opened the game with a 17-4 run and didn't trail until midway through the fourth quarter. Thornton's steal and layup -that made it 83-81 with 5:26 to go - came amid a 19-5 run that was capped by a shot-clock violation and then two free throws by Thornton that pushed the Dallas lead to 86-81 with 3:47 left. Odyssey Sims hit a short floater to pull the Sparks within three about a minute later, but Johnson made a putback and assisted on a Diggins-Smith basket to make it 90-83 with 1:22 remaining and Dallas hung on from there.

Nneka Ogwumike had 28 points, 13 rebounds and three steals for the Sparks. Candace Parker added 25 points.

Los Angeles, the 2016 WNBA champions, didn't lose its third game last season until July 19