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

[StarDust Bum]

DATE W-L-T % UNITS

09/01/2017..............7-2-1...........77.78%....................+24.00
08/30/2017..............2-2-0...........50.00%.......................-1.00
08/29/2017..............1-1-0...........50.00%.......................-0.50
08/27/2017..............5-1-0...........83.33%.....................+19.50
08/26/2017..............4-0-0..........100.00%....................+20.00
08/25/2017..............1-5-0............16.67%.....................-22.50
08/24/2017..............2-0-0..........100.00%....................+10.00
08/23/2017..............4-2-0............66.67%.....................+9.00
08/22/2017..............2-2-0............50.00%......................-1.00
08/20/2017..............3-5-0............37.50%.....................-12.50
08/19/2017..............1-1-0............50.00%.....................-0.50
08/18/2017..............4-5-0............44.44%.....................-7.50
08/16/2017..............2-2-0............50.00%.....................-1.00
08/15/2017..............2-0-0...........100.00%..................+10.00
08/13/2017..............2-0-0...........100.00%..................+10.00
08/12/2017..............5-3-0.............62.50%...................+8.50
08/11/2017..............1-3-0.............25.00%...................-1150
08/10/2017..............1-3-0.............25.00%...................-1150
08/08/2017..............3-3-0..............50.00%...................-1.50
08/06/2017..............4-2-0..............66.67%..................+9.00
08/05/2017..............3-1-0..............75.00%..................+9.50
08/04/2017..............4-6-0..............40.00%..................-13.00
08/03/2017..............0-2-0................0.00%..................-11.00

Totals...................63 - 51 - 1...........55.26%...................+36.50

DATE.......................ATS................TOTA L............OU................TOTAL

09/01/2017..............5 - 0.........+25.00..........2 -2 -1............ -1.00
08/30/2017..............1 - 1.........- 0.50............1 - 1................-0.50
08/29/2017..............1 - 0........+ 5.00............0 - 1................-5.50
08/27/2017..............3 - 0........+15.00...........2 - 1...............+4.50
08/26/2017..............2 - 0........+10.00...........2 - 0...............+10.00
08/25/2017..............0 - 3........- 16.50...........1 - 2................- 6.00
08/24/2017..............1 - 0..........+5.00...........1 - 0................+5.00
08/23/2017..............2 - 1..........+4.50...........2 - 1................+4.50
08/22/2017..............1 - 1...........-0.50...........1 - 1................- 0.50
08/20/2017..............3 - 1..........+9.50...........0 - 4................-22.00
08/19/2017..............0 - 1...........-5.50...........1 - 0................+ 5.00
08/18/2017..............2 - 3..........- 6.50...........2 - 2................- 1.00
08/16/2017..............1 - 1..........- 0.50...........1 - 1.................- 0.50
08/15/2017..............1 - 0..........+ 5.00..........1 - 0................+ 5.00
08/13/2017..............1 - 0..........+ 5.00..........1 -0.................+ 5.00
08/12/2017..............2 - 2..........- 1.00...........3 - 1................+ 9.50
08/11/2017..............1 - 1..........- 0.50...........0 - 2................- 11.00
08/10/2017..............0 - 2..........- 11.00..........1 - 1.................- 0.50
08/08/2017..............3 - 0...........+15.00........0 - 3.................- 16.50
08/06/2017..............2 - 1...........+ 4.50.........2 - 1.................+ 4.50
08/05/2017..............2 - 0...........+10.00........1 - 1...................- 0.50
08/04/2017..............3 - 2............+ 4.00........1 - 4..................-17.00
08/03/2017..............0 - 1.............- 5.50........0 - 1...................- 5.50

Totals.................37 - 20 - 0........+ 69.50.........25 - 32 - 1.............-33.00



SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 2

GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

SA at IND 07:00 PM

SA +2.5

U 150.0

[StarDust Bum]

Stars top Fever as road underdogs
September 2, 2017

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) Kayla McBride had 28 points, 11 rebounds and six assists to lead the San Antonio Stars to a 75-71 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Saturday night in a season-ending game for the two worst teams in the WNBA.

After trailing 32-28 at the half, the Stars (8-26) erased a nine-point deficit in the third quarter, scoring 27 points behind McBride's nine, to lead 55-51 and went on to end a four-game losing streak.

San Antonio swept three games from the Fever (9-25), who end the season with eight-straight losses, and finished with a 2-15 record on the road with both wins coming at Indiana.

Kayla Alexander and Kelsey Plum added 11 points apiece for the Stars.

Candice Dupree had 19 points and 13 rebounds for Indiana with Natalie Achonwa adding 18. The Fever had made the playoffs 12 straight seasons.

**************************

LEAGUE STANDINGS

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

#1 Minnesota Lynx - x26 7 0.788 - 13-3 14-2 12-5 6-4 W 2

#2 Los Angeles Sparks - x25 8 0.758 1 12-4 15-1 10-7 8-2 W 6

#3 New York Liberty - x21 12 0.636 5 11-5 13-4 8-8 9-1 W 9

#4 Connecticut Sun - x21 12 0.636 5 10-6 12-5 9-7 7-3 L 1

#5 Washington Mystics - x18 15 0.545 8 12-4 11-6 7-9 4-6 W 1

#6 Phoenix Mercury - x17 16 0.515 9 7-9 8-8 9-8 4-6 W 2

#7 Dallas Wings - x16 17 0.485 10 7-9 10-6 6-11 5-5 W 2

#8 Seattle Storm - x14 19 0.424 12 8-8 10-7 4-12 4-6 L 3

#9 Chicago Sky - o12 21 0.364 14 6-10 4-12 8-9 4-6 L 3

#10 Atlanta Dream - o12 21 0.364 14 5-11 9-8 3-13 2-8 L 1

#11 Indiana Fever - o9 25 0.265 17.5 4-12 6-11 3-14 1-9 L 8

#12 San Antonio Stars - o8 26 0.235 18.5 1-15 6-11 2-15 5-5 W 1


**************************

SCHEDULE FOR SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 3, 2017

Time (ET) Away Home Site

2:00 PM New York Liberty Dallas Wings College Park Center

4:00 PM Atlanta Dream Phoenix Mercury Talking Stick Resort Arena

4:00 PM Connecticut Sun Los Angeles Sparks Staples Center

4:00 PM Washington Mystics Minnesota Lynx Target Center

6:00 PM Seattle Storm Chicago Sky Allstate Arena

[StarDust Bum]

Sunday’s six-pack

— Undrafted rookie Cooper Rush won the backup QB job in Dallas.

— Patriots traded #3 QB Jacoby Brissett to the Colts for WR Phillip Dorsett, who was their first round draft pick in 2015.

— JJ Watt’s tremendous fundraising efforts have now raised over $17M.

— Marlins 7, Phillies 4— Giancarlo Stanton hit his 52nd home run.

— Miguel Cabrera’s suspension was reduced to six games; it started Saturday.

— Get well soon to Tigers DH Victor Martinez, who will undergo cardiac ablation surgery to fix a recurring heartbeat issue.

****************************

Sunday’s List of 13: Wrapping up a college football Saturday

13) Alabama 24, Florida State 7— Horrific night for the Seminoles; QB Francois looks like he suffered a serious knee injury late in the game- they have no experience behind him.

FSU’s special teams imploded late in the third quarter, allowing a blocked punt, then fumbling the ensuing kickoff after an Alabama FG.

12) Maryland 51, Texas 41— Longhorns scored TD’s on defense, on a blocked FG and on a punt return, but STILL LOST BY 10 POINTS!!!! Texas was favored by 18.5. Oy.

Maryland also scored a TD on a blocked FG; they ran ball for 263 yards, threw it for 219 and their backup QB played the whole 4th quarter. Great win for the Terrapins.

11) USC 49, Western Michigan 31— Amazingly misleading final score; game was tied 14-14 at the half, was 28-28 with 7:30 left in 4th quarter. It was 35-31 with 4:00 left, but Trojans scored two TD’s in last 3:49 and won their opener, gaining 521 total yards.

USC has a backup long snapper named Jake Olsen who has been blind since he was 12 years old. He came in and made a perfect snap on a USC PAT late in the game. Good for him.

10) Oklahoma State 59, Tulsa 24— Cowboys averaged over 10 yards a play, but Tulsa converted 16-26 on third down, ran 98 plays, which is a huge red flag for an OSU defense that has to try and stop Big X offenses down the road.

9) Michigan 33, Florida 17— Gators’ defense had two pick-6’s in a 1:29 span early in 2nd quarter, but those were Gators’ only two TD’s of the game. Young Wolverines made two FG’s of 50+ yards and added a defensive TD late in the game. Florida had ten kids suspended for this game; for their sake, hope those ten kids are mostly on offense.

8) James Madison 34, East Carolina 14— Not only did the Pirates lose at home to a I-AA team, JMU was a 2.5-point road favorite. Not often a I-AA team is a road favorite at a I-A opponent.

7) There have already been 45 games this year where a I-A team played a I-AA team. Lot of schools treat these I-AA games are dress rehearsals for their conference games, an “exhibition” game with regular season prices, where you can work some of the kinks out. Not sure how much they help, especially if you lose, like East Carolina, Georgia State and Baylor did.

6) Liberty 48, Baylor 45— Speaking of which, Matt Rhule’s debut in Waco didn’t go very well.

Missouri 72, Missouri State 43— This game was 48-35 at the half. when you give up 35 points in a half to any team, especially a I-AA team, you have defensive issues.

Mizzou gained 815 yards, threw for 521, but they’re an SEC team and if you’re going to win SEC games, you damn sure better have a solid defense.

5) California 35, North Carolina 30— Golden Bears (+12.5) come east and post the upset, with soph QB Bowers throwing for 363 yards and four TD’s, including passes of 54, 67 yards.

4) Illinois 24, Ball State 21— Cardinals outgained the Illini 375-216 but couldn’t give the MAC an upset win. Illinois scored the winning TD with 2:06 left, then Ball State missed a 54-yard FG at the end. Cardinals were 12-21 on third down.

3) Nebraska 43, Arkansas State 36— Red Wolves have only 2 returning starts on their offensive line this year- that almost never happens!!! Despite being so young up front, junior QB named Hansen threw for 415 yards and three TD’s. Cornhuskers led 41-26 with 10:00 left, but when the game ended, Arkansas State had the ball on the Nebraska 10-yard line.

2) Louisville 35, Purdue 28— Lot tougher than expected. Cardinals committed 16 penalties for 110 yards, offsetting the 524 yards they gained from scrimmage.

1) Iowa 24, Wyoming 3— Hawkeyes held Cowboys’ QB Josh Allen without a TD, in a game where total offense was only 263-233 in good weather. Iowa’s offense has lot of work to do.

Flashback to 2003: Iowa (-10) beat Miami OH 21-3 in both team’s opener. Miami came to Iowa City with a highly-touted veteran QB, but also failed to score a touchdown that day.

Before you write off Josh Allen, remember that Miami’s QB that day was Ben Roethlisberger.

[StarDust Bum]

DATE W-L-T % UNITS

09/02/2017..............2-0-0.........100.00%....................+10.00
09/01/2017..............7-2-1...........77.78%....................+24.00
08/30/2017..............2-2-0...........50.00%.......................-1.00
08/29/2017..............1-1-0...........50.00%.......................-0.50
08/27/2017..............5-1-0...........83.33%.....................+19.50
08/26/2017..............4-0-0..........100.00%....................+20.00
08/25/2017..............1-5-0............16.67%.....................-22.50
08/24/2017..............2-0-0..........100.00%....................+10.00
08/23/2017..............4-2-0............66.67%.....................+9.00
08/22/2017..............2-2-0............50.00%......................-1.00
08/20/2017..............3-5-0............37.50%.....................-12.50
08/19/2017..............1-1-0............50.00%.....................-0.50
08/18/2017..............4-5-0............44.44%.....................-7.50
08/16/2017..............2-2-0............50.00%.....................-1.00
08/15/2017..............2-0-0...........100.00%..................+10.00
08/13/2017..............2-0-0...........100.00%..................+10.00
08/12/2017..............5-3-0.............62.50%...................+8.50
08/11/2017..............1-3-0.............25.00%...................-1150
08/10/2017..............1-3-0.............25.00%...................-1150
08/08/2017..............3-3-0..............50.00%...................-1.50
08/06/2017..............4-2-0..............66.67%..................+9.00
08/05/2017..............3-1-0..............75.00%..................+9.50
08/04/2017..............4-6-0..............40.00%..................-13.00
08/03/2017..............0-2-0................0.00%..................-11.00

Totals...................65 - 51 - 1...........56.03%...................+46.50

DATE.....................ATS..............TOTAL... .........O/U................TOTAL

09/02/2017..............1 - 0........ + 5.00...........1 - 0...............+5.00
09/01/2017..............5 - 0.........+25.00..........2 -2 -1............ -1.00
08/30/2017..............1 - 1.........- 0.50............1 - 1................-0.50
08/29/2017..............1 - 0........+ 5.00............0 - 1................-5.50
08/27/2017..............3 - 0........+15.00...........2 - 1...............+4.50
08/26/2017..............2 - 0........+10.00...........2 - 0...............+10.00
08/25/2017..............0 - 3........- 16.50...........1 - 2................- 6.00
08/24/2017..............1 - 0..........+5.00...........1 - 0................+5.00
08/23/2017..............2 - 1..........+4.50...........2 - 1................+4.50
08/22/2017..............1 - 1...........-0.50...........1 - 1................- 0.50
08/20/2017..............3 - 1..........+9.50...........0 - 4................-22.00
08/19/2017..............0 - 1...........-5.50...........1 - 0................+ 5.00
08/18/2017..............2 - 3..........- 6.50...........2 - 2................- 1.00
08/16/2017..............1 - 1..........- 0.50...........1 - 1.................- 0.50
08/15/2017..............1 - 0..........+ 5.00..........1 - 0................+ 5.00
08/13/2017..............1 - 0..........+ 5.00..........1 -0.................+ 5.00
08/12/2017..............2 - 2..........- 1.00...........3 - 1................+ 9.50
08/11/2017..............1 - 1..........- 0.50...........0 - 2................- 11.00
08/10/2017..............0 - 2..........- 11.00..........1 - 1.................- 0.50
08/08/2017..............3 - 0...........+15.00........0 - 3.................- 16.50
08/06/2017..............2 - 1...........+ 4.50.........2 - 1.................+ 4.50
08/05/2017..............2 - 0...........+10.00........1 - 1...................- 0.50
08/04/2017..............3 - 2............+ 4.00........1 - 4..................-17.00
08/03/2017..............0 - 1.............- 5.50........0 - 1...................- 5.50

Totals.................38 - 20 - 0........+ 74.50.........26 - 32 - 1.............-28.00

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo: Sunday's six-pack

— Undrafted rookie Cooper Rush won the backup QB job in Dallas.

— Patriots traded #3 QB Jacoby Brissett to the Colts for WR Phillip Dorsett, who was their first round draft pick in 2015.

— JJ Watt’s tremendous fundraising efforts have now raised over $17M.

— Marlins 7, Phillies 4— Giancarlo Stanton hit his 52nd home run.

— Miguel Cabrera’s suspension was reduced to six games; it started Saturday.

— Get well soon to Tigers DH Victor Martinez, who will undergo cardiac ablation surgery to fix a recurring heartbeat issue.


**********

Armadillo: Sunday's List of 13: Wrapping up a college football Saturday

13) Alabama 24, Florida State 7— Horrific night for the Seminoles; QB Francois looks like he suffered a serious knee injury late in the game- they have no experience behind him.

FSU’s special teams imploded late in the third quarter, allowing a blocked punt, then fumbling the ensuing kickoff after an Alabama FG.

12) Maryland 51, Texas 41— Longhorns scored TD’s on defense, on a blocked FG and on a punt return, but STILL LOST BY 10 POINTS!!!! Texas was favored by 18.5. Oy.

Maryland also scored a TD on a blocked FG; they ran ball for 263 yards, threw it for 219 and their backup QB played the whole 4th quarter. Great win for the Terrapins.

11) USC 49, Western Michigan 31— Amazingly misleading final score; game was tied 14-14 at the half, was 28-28 with 7:30 left in 4th quarter. It was 35-31 with 4:00 left, but Trojans scored two TD’s in last 3:49 and won their opener, gaining 521 total yards.

USC has a backup long snapper named Jake Olsen who has been blind since he was 12 years old. He came in and made a perfect snap on a USC PAT late in the game. Good for him.

10) Oklahoma State 59, Tulsa 24— Cowboys averaged over 10 yards a play, but Tulsa converted 16-26 on third down, ran 98 plays, which is a huge red flag for an OSU defense that has to try and stop Big X offenses down the road.

9) Michigan 33, Florida 17— Gators’ defense had two pick-6’s in a 1:29 span early in 2nd quarter, but those were Gators’ only two TD’s of the game. Young Wolverines made two FG’s of 50+ yards and added a defensive TD late in the game. Florida had ten kids suspended for this game; for their sake, hope those ten kids are mostly on offense.

8) James Madison 34, East Carolina 14— Not only did the Pirates lose at home to a I-AA team, JMU was a 2.5-point road favorite. Not often a I-AA team is a road favorite at a I-A opponent.

7) There have already been 45 games this year where a I-A team played a I-AA team. Lot of schools treat these I-AA games are dress rehearsals for their conference games, an “exhibition” game with regular season prices, where you can work some of the kinks out. Not sure how much they help, especially if you lose, like East Carolina, Georgia State and Baylor did.

6) Liberty 48, Baylor 45— Speaking of which, Matt Rhule’s debut in Waco didn’t go very well.

Missouri 72, Missouri State 43— This game was 48-35 at the half. when you give up 35 points in a half to any team, especially a I-AA team, you have defensive issues.

Mizzou gained 815 yards, threw for 521, but they’re an SEC team and if you’re going to win SEC games, you damn sure better have a solid defense.

5) California 35, North Carolina 30— Golden Bears (+12.5) come east and post the upset, with soph QB Bowers throwing for 363 yards and four TD’s, including passes of 54, 67 yards.

4) Illinois 24, Ball State 21— Cardinals outgained the Illini 375-216 but couldn’t give the MAC an upset win. Illinois scored the winning TD with 2:06 left, then Ball State missed a 54-yard FG at the end. Cardinals were 12-21 on third down.

3) Nebraska 43, Arkansas State 36— Red Wolves have only 2 returning starts on their offensive line this year- that almost never happens!!! Despite being so young up front, junior QB named Hansen threw for 415 yards and three TD’s. Cornhuskers led 41-26 with 10:00 left, but when the game ended, Arkansas State had the ball on the Nebraska 10-yard line.

2) Louisville 35, Purdue 28— Lot tougher than expected. Cardinals committed 16 penalties for 110 yards, offsetting the 524 yards they gained from scrimmage.

1) Iowa 24, Wyoming 3— Hawkeyes held Cowboys’ QB Josh Allen without a TD, in a game where total offense was only 263-233 in good weather. Iowa’s offense has lot of work to do.

Flashback to 2003: Iowa (-10) beat Miami OH 21-3 in both team’s opener. Miami came to Iowa City with a highly-touted veteran QB, but also failed to score a touchdown that day.

Before you write off Josh Allen, remember that Miami’s QB that day was Ben Roethlisberger.

[StarDust Bum]

WNBA
Dunkel

Sunday, September 3

Washington @ Minnesota

Game 675-676
September 3, 2017 @ 7:05 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Washington
106.825
Minnesota
121,782
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Minnesota
by 15
163
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Minnesota
by 11
160
Dunkel Pick:
Minnesota
(-11); Over

Atlanta @ Phoenix

Game 673-674
September 3, 2017 @ 6:05 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Atlanta
105.266
Phoenix
112.035
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Phoenix
by 7
156
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Phoenix
by 9
161 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Atlanta
(+9); Under

Seattle @ Chicago

Game 671-672
September 3, 2017 @ 7:05 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Seattle
109.011
Chicago
108.628
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Seattle
Even
163
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Chicago
by 2
169
Dunkel Pick:
Seattle
(+2); Under

Connecticut @ Los Angeles

Game 669-670
September 3, 2017 @ 5:05 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Connecticut
113.620
Los Angeles
119.169
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Los Angeles
by 5 1/2
165
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Los Angeles
by 8 1/2
160 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Connecticut
(+8 1/2); Over

New York @ Dallas

Game 667-668
September 3, 2017 @ 4:05 pm

Dunkel Rating:
New York
118.545
Dallas
112.213
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
New York
by 6 1/2
172
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
New York
by 2 1/2
167 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
New York
(-2 1/2); Over




WNBA
Long Sheet

Sunday, September 3

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

NEW YORK (21 - 12) at DALLAS (16 - 17) - 9/3/2017, 4:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
NEW YORK is 82-58 ATS (+18.2 Units) in road games against Western conference opponents since 1997.
NEW YORK is 82-58 ATS (+18.2 Units) in road games in non-conference games since 1997.
NEW YORK is 7-1 ATS (+5.9 Units) after a win by 10 points or more this season.
NEW YORK is 11-3 ATS (+7.7 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 77+ points/game after 15+ games this season.
NEW YORK is 16-6 ATS (+9.4 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 77+ points/game this season.
DALLAS is 25-36 ATS (-14.6 Units) after allowing 75 points or more over the last 2 seasons.
DALLAS is 20-32 ATS (-15.2 Units) after scoring 75 points or more over the last 2 seasons.

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

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

CONNECTICUT (21 - 12) at LOS ANGELES (25 - 8) - 9/3/2017, 5:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
LOS ANGELES is 21-12 ATS (+7.8 Units) in all games this season.
LOS ANGELES is 19-11 ATS (+6.9 Units) as a favorite this season.
LOS ANGELES is 8-2 ATS (+5.8 Units) in August or September games this season.
LOS ANGELES is 12-5 ATS (+6.5 Units) against Eastern conference opponents this season.
LOS ANGELES is 12-5 ATS (+6.5 Units) in non-conference games this season.
LOS ANGELES is 8-2 ATS (+5.8 Units) after 3 or more consecutive unders this season.
LOS ANGELES is 9-2 ATS (+6.8 Units) after 3 or more consecutive wins this season.
LOS ANGELES is 6-0 ATS (+6.0 Units) in home games when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
LOS ANGELES is 15-8 ATS (+6.2 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 77+ points/game this season.
CONNECTICUT is 41-25 ATS (+13.5 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
CONNECTICUT is 24-13 ATS (+9.7 Units) as an underdog over the last 2 seasons.
CONNECTICUT is 12-4 ATS (+7.6 Units) in road games this season.
CONNECTICUT is 12-4 ATS (+7.6 Units) in a road game where where the total is greater than or equal to 150 this season.
CONNECTICUT is 31-16 ATS (+13.4 Units) against Western conference opponents over the last 3 seasons.
CONNECTICUT is 31-16 ATS (+13.4 Units) in non-conference games over the last 3 seasons.
CONNECTICUT is 12-3 ATS (+8.7 Units) in road games revenging a loss versus opponent over the last 2 seasons.
CONNECTICUT is 17-9 ATS (+7.1 Units) after allowing 75 points or more this season.
CONNECTICUT is 11-3 ATS (+7.7 Units) after a loss by 10 points or more over the last 2 seasons.
CONNECTICUT is 18-9 ATS (+8.1 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
CONNECTICUT is 32-18 ATS (+12.2 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 77+ points/game over the last 2 seasons.
LOS ANGELES is 181-223 ATS (-64.3 Units) after scoring 75 points or more since 1997.
LOS ANGELES is 42-66 ATS (-30.6 Units) in home games versus poor defensive teams - allowing 77+ points/game since 1997.

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

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

SEATTLE (14 - 19) at CHICAGO (12 - 21) - 9/3/2017, 6:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
SEATTLE is 4-13 ATS (-10.3 Units) against Eastern conference opponents this season.
SEATTLE is 4-13 ATS (-10.3 Units) in non-conference games this season.
SEATTLE is 8-17 ATS (-10.7 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 77+ points/game this season.
SEATTLE is 8-15 ATS (-8.5 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 77+ points/game this season.
SEATTLE is 43-23 ATS (+17.7 Units) after 3 or more consecutive losses since 1997.
CHICAGO is 4-12 ATS (-9.2 Units) in home games this season.
CHICAGO is 4-12 ATS (-9.2 Units) in a home game where where the total is greater than or equal to 150 this season.
CHICAGO is 14-28 ATS (-16.8 Units) in home games after allowing 75 points or more over the last 3 seasons.
CHICAGO is 35-54 ATS (-24.4 Units) in home games versus good offensive teams - scoring 77+ points/game since 1997.

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

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

ATLANTA (12 - 21) at PHOENIX (17 - 16) - 9/3/2017, 6:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
ATLANTA is 2-8 ATS (-6.8 Units) in August or September games this season.
ATLANTA is 2-8 ATS (-6.8 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record after 15+ games this season.
ATLANTA is 6-15 ATS (-10.5 Units) in road games versus poor defensive teams - allowing 77+ points/game over the last 2 seasons.

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

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

WASHINGTON (18 - 15) at MINNESOTA (26 - 7) - 9/3/2017, 7:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
WASHINGTON is 309-368 ATS (-95.8 Units) in all games since 1997.
WASHINGTON is 0-11 ATS (-12.1 Units) as an underdog this season.
WASHINGTON is 47-70 ATS (-30.0 Units) in road games in August or September games since 1997.
WASHINGTON is 21-40 ATS (-23.0 Units) in road games on Sunday games since 1997.
WASHINGTON is 5-12 ATS (-8.2 Units) against Western conference opponents this season.
WASHINGTON is 5-12 ATS (-8.2 Units) in non-conference games this season.
WASHINGTON is 3-12 ATS (-10.2 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent this season.
WASHINGTON is 2-10 ATS (-9.0 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
MINNESOTA is 9-2 ATS (+6.8 Units) in home games in August or September games over the last 2 seasons.
MINNESOTA is 25-14 ATS (+9.6 Units) after allowing 75 points or more over the last 2 seasons.
MINNESOTA is 1-8 ATS (-7.8 Units) on Sunday games this season.

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

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




WNBA

Sunday, September 3

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

2:00 PM
NEW YORK vs. DALLAS
New York is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Dallas
The total has gone OVER in 4 of New York's last 6 games when playing Dallas
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Dallas's last 6 games when playing at home against New York
Dallas is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against New York

4:00 PM
CONNECTICUT vs. LOS ANGELES
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Connecticut's last 7 games when playing on the road against Los Angeles
Connecticut is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing Los Angeles
Los Angeles is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Los Angeles's last 8 games when playing Connecticut

4:00 PM
WASHINGTON vs. MINNESOTA
Washington is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing Minnesota
Washington is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Minnesota
Minnesota is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
Minnesota is 11-1 SU in its last 12 games at home

4:00 PM
ATLANTA vs. PHOENIX
Atlanta is 2-10 ATS in its last 12 games
The total has gone OVER in 12 of Atlanta's last 18 games
Phoenix is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against Atlanta
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Phoenix's last 6 games at home

6:00 PM
SEATTLE vs. CHICAGO
Seattle is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games
Seattle is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games when playing Chicago
Chicago is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games when playing at home against Seattle
Chicago is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing Seattle

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Liberty (21-12) at Wings (16-17)
Date: September 03, 2017 2:00 PM EDT

The New York Liberty have come a long way this season.

The Liberty rode what amounted to nothing more than a roller coaster of mediocrity for the first two months of the 2017. There was a 15-point loss to Los Angeles and an embarrassing defeat to the Washington Mystics when they scored 54 points.

Sandwiched between those losses was a four-game win streak. Coach Bill Laimbeer always knew the pieces were in place to be elite, but getting his squad to play as a team, to focus on defense and come together as one were other questions.

And then August happened and the Liberty returned to Madison Square Garden with a 12-12 record after taking another one on the chin against the Sparks.

Maybe it was an omen that Chelsea Clinton sat courtside signing copies of her book, "She Persisted."

The Liberty persisted that night against the Fever and won 81-76. And they've been persisting and imposing their will against their opponents ever since.

After beating the Dream next time out, there was a new-found confidence that helped the Liberty beat the Sparks, Mystics and Suns back-to-back-to-back.

"We've come a long way," Shavonte Zellous said as the Liberty put a nine-game winning streak on the line in their final regular season contest against the host Dallas Wings on Sunday. "I think you're starting to see where our chemistry is starting to get better. Our defensive execution is getting better. Our offensive execution is getting better. There's not one player on this team that's living in a selfish moment."

That's not good news for whomever New York will face in the postseason. By finishing as one of the top four teams, the Liberty have earned a first-round bye. They can tie a franchise record for consecutive wins Sunday.

But the Liberty know what their coach thinks of records and just making the playoffs.

"Making the playoffs? It doesn't mean a damn thing," Laimbeer told Newsday last week. "We were expecting to make the playoffs. ... Big deal. There are bigger things out there."

Making the playoffs is a big deal for the Wings (16-17). It's the first time the franchise has made the postseason since moving to Dallas.

The Wings earned the right to celebrate after being the Chicago Sky 99-96 on Wednesday.

After a slow first half, the Wings came back behind Skylar Diggins-Smith and Glory Johnson. Diggins-Smith led the team with 28 points, along with eight assists, while Johnson chipped in with 25 points.

No one was happier than Johnson to be part of the playoff clinching win. It was Johnson who was suspended for one game after getting into an altercation in Atlanta on Aug. 19.

"Now that we're in that position that we can make that push and it looks like that's the way we're going to go, I'm really excited," Johnson said. "I'm glad to be a part of it."

The Wings lost to Connecticut without having Johnson and her 14.9 points and 9.1 rebounds per game. That loss could have been devastating, but the Wings bounced back and have won two straight heading into Sunday's playoff tune-up.


WNB HEAD TO HEAD

Jun 16, 2017 Score ATS Results
NEW « 102 Cover: 7.5
DAL 93 Over: 195
Tools: Recaps

Jun 2, 2017 Score ATS Results
DAL 89 Over: 182
NEW « 93 Cover: 0.5
Tools: Recaps

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Sun (21-12) at Sparks (25-8)
Date: September 03, 2017 4:00 PM EDT

LOS ANGELES -- Although the Connecticut Sun and Los Angeles Sparks wrapped up playoff berths weeks ago, there is still plenty for the teams to play for in Sunday's regular-season finale at Staples Center.

The Sun (21-12) are tied for first place in the Eastern Conference and for the WNBA's No. 3 playoff seed with New York after an 86-66 loss Friday night in Phoenix. The Liberty, which plays Sunday at Dallas, holds the tiebreaker against the Sun.

The Sparks (25-8) are just a game behind league-leading Minnesota. They defeated the Lynx 78-67 last Sunday to take two of three games in the season series and own the tiebreaker between the teams. Minnesota closes its regular season at home Sunday against Washington.

"We're just all going to be gearing up for playoffs now," Sparks coach Brian Agler said after last weekend's victory. "If we happen to get that top spot, we'd be happy. But our goal is to just finish off this regular season strong."

The Sparks won their sixth in a row Friday night, defeating Atlanta 81-56 as Candace Parker scored 15 points.

"I hope things are clicking going into the playoffs," Parker said. "I know that I have to be aggressive and assertive and I'm able to do that now. I'm healthy, moving well and I feel good."

The Sun went 7-2 in August to move atop the Eastern Conference. Second-year forward/center Jonquel Jones leads Connecticut in both scoring (15.5 points per game) and rebounding (11.9). She is five rebounds shy of tying Tina Charles' WNBA record for most in a season.

"I had confidence coming into this year that we had a lot of young talent," Sun general manager/coach Curt Miller said after his team wrapped up a playoff berth. "Knowing there were still some unknown pieces, it may have come a year earlier than I thought."

The Sparks won the two previous meetings against the Sun this season -- 87-79 on June 27 at Connecticut and 87-77 on July 13 in Los Angeles. The Sparks' Nneka Ogwumike is averaging 25.0 points in the season series.


WNB HEAD TO HEAD

Jul 13, 2017 Score ATS Results
CONN 77 Under: 164
LOS « 87 Cover: 3
Tools: Recaps

Jun 27, 2017 Score ATS Results
LOS « 87 Cover: 5.5
CONN 79 Under: 166
Tools: Recaps

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Storm (14-19) at Sky (12-21)
Date: September 03, 2017 6:00 PM EDT

The Chicago Sky will sit out the WNBA playoffs as they close out a disappointing 2017 season on Sunday hoping to avoid a season-ending four-game losing streak.

Chicago (12-21) saw its slim postseason hopes dashed with Friday's 110-87 blowout loss at league-leading Minnesota.

The Sky will host the playoff-bound Seattle Storm (14-19) in Sunday's season finale. The Storm secured the eighth and final berth despite a 110-106 overtime loss at Washington on Friday night.

Losses by Chicago and Atlanta put the Storm in the playoffs.

"Everyone is kind of mad about the season and what we could've done earlier on to be in a better position right now," Chicago guard Allie Quigley said. "But we do have a good future and hopefully we can take some time to get over this and get back to working."

On Friday night, the Lynx jumped to a 29-19 lead over the Sky after the first quarter and extended the advantage to 16 by halftime. Minnesota center Sylvia Fowles, a former Sky standout, led the Lynx with a 20-point, 10-rebound game.

The Storm clinched a playoff berth as Sue Bird broke the WNBA career assist record, passing Ticha Penicheiro with her 2,600th career assist. Bird's total sits at 2,610.

"If you are at the top of any statistical category, it says something about you as a player," Bird wrote on her Twitter account after the game. "(I) would be remiss if I didn't thank all the people that helped make this possible -- my teammates."

Seattle has four players averaging double figures in scoring, led by Breanna Stewart at 19.6 points. Jewell Loyd follows at 17.5 points, Crystal Langhorne is at 12.4 and Bird averages 10.2 points and a team-high 6.6 assists.

Quigley tops the Sky with a 16.4-point scoring average and Stefanie Dolson is next at 14.8 points. Courtney Vandersloot is also in double figures at 11.4 points.

Seattle would open the postseason at Washington next Wednesday according to a WNBA playoff scenario.

Chicago, meanwhile, missed the playoffs for the first time since 2012. The Sky reached the WNBA semifinals last season.


WNB HEAD TO HEAD

Aug 20, 2017 Score ATS Results
SEA « 103 Cover: 39
CHI 66 Over: 169
Tools: Recaps

Jul 18, 2017 Score ATS Results
CHI « 94 Cover: 17
SEA 83 Over: 177
Tools: Recaps

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Dream (12-21) at Mercury (17-16)
Date: September 03, 2017 4:00 PM EDT

With their playoff fates decided, the Atlanta Dream and Phoenix Mercury meet Sunday to close out the regular season at Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix.

The Mercury (17-16) clinched a home game in the playoffs with an 86-66 win over the Connecticut Sun on Friday. Phoenix star Brittney Griner scored 31 points, 20 in the first half, to fuel the rout of the visiting Sun.

Griner missed nearly a month, from mid-July into August, recovering from a bone bruise in her left knee and a right ankle sprain. She had her best performance since returning against the Sun, adding eight rebounds and handing out five assists to go along with her 31 points.

"I'm getting back into the groove," Griner told reporters.

Atlanta (12-21) was eliminated from postseason contention in an 81-56 loss at Los Angeles on Friday. The Dream fell behind early to the Sparks and never recovered. Atlanta trailed 26-12 at the end of the first quarter and was unable to mount a serious comeback, despite 19 points from Tiffany Hayes.

Hayes emerged as the Dream's leading scorer this season, after veteran star Angel McCoughtry decided to step away from the game last offseason. Hayes has averaged 16.3 points this season and was an All-Star.

"Tiffany is learning what a lead player has to do to help their team," Atlanta coach Michael Cooper told reporters after the loss to the Sparks on Friday.

The Dream and Mercury split their two previous meetings this season. Both games were close, with Phoenix winning 89-84 at home on July 12, and Atlanta avenging that loss with a 99-91 overtime win at home on July 25.

The Dream reached the playoffs every year from 2009 to 2014, but have now missed the postseason in two of the last three seasons. Cooper still believes the future is bright for the Atlanta franchise.

"Bright, bright, bright future for this team, and organization," Cooper said. "You know we're just going to have to take those steps to get there. It's about winning a championship, that's what I've been about since day one coming here, and that's not going to change."


WNB HEAD TO HEAD

Jul 25, 2017 Score ATS Results
PHO 91 Over: 190
ATL « 99 Cover: 2
Tools: Recaps

Jul 12, 2017 Score ATS Results
ATL 84 Cover: 2
PHO « 89 Over: 173
Tools: Recaps

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Mystics (18-15) at Lynx (26-7)
Date: September 03, 2017 4:00 PM EDT

One of the biggest reasons the Minnesota Lynx are one win from clinching the top seed in the WNBA playoffs has been the play of center Sylvia Fowles.

Fowles, who signed a contract extension with the team Friday, and the Lynx host the Washington Mystics on Sunday at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn., with a chance to finish the season in first place.

Minnesota (26-7) can clinch home-court advantage for the playoffs with a win or a Los Angeles Sparks loss Sunday afternoon. The Sparks host Connecticut.

Fresh from signing a new contract, Fowles scored 27 points and grabbed 12 rebounds as the Lynx overwhelmed Chicago 110-87 on Friday evening.

Minnesota fans chanted "MVP" when Fowles touched the ball in the fourth quarter.

Fowles' teammates agreed.

"We are all convinced," Maya Moore said of Fowles' MVP chances. "With what she's been doing on the best team, it's pretty unbelievable."

Fowles, who leads the team in in scoring (19.4 points per game), rebounds (10.5), blocks (2.0) and field-goal percentage (66 percent), said she hasn't let the MVP talk be a distraction.

"I tried not to think about it much throughout the season," the center told the (Minneapolis) Star Tribune. "But as we start winding down, it's on the top of your head. I must say, it has not been easy. But I'm loving the journey I'm taking."

The Lynx lead the Sparks by one game in the standings, but the Sparks, having beaten Minnesota twice in three tries this season, would get the No. 1 seed if the teams end up in a tie.

"We said we'd rather be in our locker room looking down the standings and knowing if we win, there's nothing anybody else can do," Reeve said.

The Mystics (18-15) on Friday secured a home game in the opening round of the playoffs.

Elena Delle Donne scored a season-high 37 points as Washington beat Seattle 110-106 in overtime. The Storm clinched the eighth playoff spot despite the loss.

The Mystics will host the Storm or the Dallas Wings in the first round of the playoffs.

Fifth-place Washington has lost five of its past seven games.

"The biggest thing for me is to be playing better basketball with some rhythm going into the playoffs," Mystics coach Mike Thibault told the Wasington Post. "We've had no rhythm at all. It's just been disjointed really."

But part of the Mystics' struggles can be blamed on late-season injuries.

Delle Donne missed two weeks in August after undergoing surgery on her left thumb.

The 2015 MVP is averaging 20 points and seven rebounds per game for Washington.

"I'm all right," Delle Donne said. "Obviously all of our bodies are a little tired."


WNB HEAD TO HEAD

Jun 23, 2017 Score ATS Results
WAS 76 Over: 169
MIN « 93 Cover: 7.5
Tools: Recaps

Jun 9, 2017 Score ATS Results
MIN « 98 Cover: 17
WAS 73 Over: 171
Tools: Recaps

[StarDust Bum]

DATE W-L-T % UNITS

09/02/2017..............2-0-0.........100.00%....................+10.00
09/01/2017..............7-2-1...........77.78%....................+24.00
08/30/2017..............2-2-0...........50.00%.......................-1.00
08/29/2017..............1-1-0...........50.00%.......................-0.50
08/27/2017..............5-1-0...........83.33%.....................+19.50
08/26/2017..............4-0-0..........100.00%....................+20.00
08/25/2017..............1-5-0............16.67%.....................-22.50
08/24/2017..............2-0-0..........100.00%....................+10.00
08/23/2017..............4-2-0............66.67%.....................+9.00
08/22/2017..............2-2-0............50.00%......................-1.00
08/20/2017..............3-5-0............37.50%.....................-12.50
08/19/2017..............1-1-0............50.00%.....................-0.50
08/18/2017..............4-5-0............44.44%.....................-7.50
08/16/2017..............2-2-0............50.00%.....................-1.00
08/15/2017..............2-0-0...........100.00%..................+10.00
08/13/2017..............2-0-0...........100.00%..................+10.00
08/12/2017..............5-3-0.............62.50%...................+8.50
08/11/2017..............1-3-0.............25.00%...................-1150
08/10/2017..............1-3-0.............25.00%...................-1150
08/08/2017..............3-3-0..............50.00%...................-1.50
08/06/2017..............4-2-0..............66.67%..................+9.00
08/05/2017..............3-1-0..............75.00%..................+9.50
08/04/2017..............4-6-0..............40.00%..................-13.00
08/03/2017..............0-2-0................0.00%..................-11.00

Totals...................65 - 51 - 1...........56.03%...................+46.50

DATE.....................ATS..............TOTAL... .........O/U................TOTAL

09/02/2017..............1 - 0........ + 5.00...........1 - 0...............+5.00
09/01/2017..............5 - 0.........+25.00..........2 -2 -1............ -1.00
08/30/2017..............1 - 1.........- 0.50............1 - 1................-0.50
08/29/2017..............1 - 0........+ 5.00............0 - 1................-5.50
08/27/2017..............3 - 0........+15.00...........2 - 1...............+4.50
08/26/2017..............2 - 0........+10.00...........2 - 0...............+10.00
08/25/2017..............0 - 3........- 16.50...........1 - 2................- 6.00
08/24/2017..............1 - 0..........+5.00...........1 - 0................+5.00
08/23/2017..............2 - 1..........+4.50...........2 - 1................+4.50
08/22/2017..............1 - 1...........-0.50...........1 - 1................- 0.50
08/20/2017..............3 - 1..........+9.50...........0 - 4................-22.00
08/19/2017..............0 - 1...........-5.50...........1 - 0................+ 5.00
08/18/2017..............2 - 3..........- 6.50...........2 - 2................- 1.00
08/16/2017..............1 - 1..........- 0.50...........1 - 1.................- 0.50
08/15/2017..............1 - 0..........+ 5.00..........1 - 0................+ 5.00
08/13/2017..............1 - 0..........+ 5.00..........1 -0.................+ 5.00
08/12/2017..............2 - 2..........- 1.00...........3 - 1................+ 9.50
08/11/2017..............1 - 1..........- 0.50...........0 - 2................- 11.00
08/10/2017..............0 - 2..........- 11.00..........1 - 1.................- 0.50
08/08/2017..............3 - 0...........+15.00........0 - 3.................- 16.50
08/06/2017..............2 - 1...........+ 4.50.........2 - 1.................+ 4.50
08/05/2017..............2 - 0...........+10.00........1 - 1...................- 0.50
08/04/2017..............3 - 2............+ 4.00........1 - 4..................-17.00
08/03/2017..............0 - 1.............- 5.50........0 - 1...................- 5.50

Totals.................38 - 20 - 0........+ 74.50.........26 - 32 - 1.............-28.00



SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 3

GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

NY at DAL 02:00 PM

NY -3.0

O 166.5

WAS at MIN 04:00 PM

WAS +11.0

O 160.0

ATL at PHO 04:00 PM

PHO -8.5

U 161.5

CONN at LA 04:00 PM

LA -8.0

U 161.0

SEA at CHI 06:00 PM

SEA +1.5

O 170.5

[StarDust Bum]

WNBA Capsules
September 3, 2017

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) Maya Moore scored 26 points and Renee Montgomery added 18 to help the Minnesota Lynx secure the top seed in the playoffs with an 86-72 victory over the Washington Mystics on Sunday.

Minnesota (27-7) finished the season a game ahead of Los Angeles (26-8). Both teams have byes until in the semifinals on Sept. 12.

Washington (18-16) is the sixth seed and plays the Dallas Wings on Wednesday.

Kristi Toliver hit a 3-pointer with 4:28 remaining to pull Washington within 80-71, but Moore answered at the other end and the Mystics didn't score again until the 2:09 mark.

Toliver led Washington with 20 points. Elena Delle Donne added 12 points in just 18 minutes and Krystal Thomas grabbed 14 rebounds.

It was Minnesota's final game at the Xcel Energy Center as the Lynx will play their home playoff games at the University of Minnesota's Williams Arena. The team is moving to accommodate the Minnesota Wild's preseason schedule.

SPARKS 81, SUN 70

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Nneka Ogwumike scored 21 points, Candace Parker had a double-double and the defending champion Los Angeles Sparks closed the WNBA regular season with a win over Connecticut.

Los Angeles (26-8) went 15-1 at home, but finished a game behind Minnesota for the top seed in the playoffs. The Sparks have a bye until the semifinals. The Sun (21-13) are the fourth seed and have a first-round bye.

Parker had 12 points and 14 rebounds for the Sparks and Odyssey Sims had 16 points.

Courtney Williams led the Suns with 19 points. Jonquel Jones had 10 rebounds to finish with 403, the first player in league history to surpass 400. Tina Charles held the old record at 398. With 10 points, Jones had 20 double-doubles this season.

LIBERTY 82, WINGS 81

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) - Tina Charles had 18 points and 18 rebounds to help New York clinch the third seed in the playoffs with a win over the Wings and extend the Liberty's winning streak to 10 games.

The Liberty (22-12) matched the franchise record for longest winning streak and have a first-round bye. The seventh-seeded Wings (16-18) play at No. 6 Washington in a one-game playoff on Wednesday.

Trailing 82-79 after a Charles putback with 22.1 seconds to play, the Wings missed, but forced a turnover and Aerial Powers scored on a putback with 3.7 seconds left. When the Liberty inbounded the ball in the frontcourt after a timeout, they had a backcourt violation, giving Dallas one last shot. Skylar Diggins-Smith's attempt from the 3-point line bounced off the rim at the buzzer.

MERCURY 84, DREAM 70

PHOENIX (AP) - Brittney Griner scored 30 points and the Phoenix Mercury closed the regular season with a victory over the Dream on Sunday to secure the fifth seed in the playoffs.

Phoenix (18-16) will host Seattle on Wednesday night.

Griner reached the 30-point mark for the sixth time in her career with a reverse layup with 1:23 remaining in the fourth quarter. She blocked Elizabeth Williams' shot at the other end. All six of her 30-point games have come this season.

Leilani Mitchell added 18 points for Phoenix and Diana Taurasi was held to nine points on 3-of-12 shooting.

Rookie Brittney Sykes scored a career-best 33 points for Atlanta (12-22). She was 12 of 19 from the floor and made seven free throws. Tiffany Hayes added 15 points, and Camille Little moved into a tie with Lauren Jackson for 12th place in WNBA history with 2,447 rebounds, passing Yolanda Griffith.

STORM 85, SKY 80

ROSEMONT, Ill. (AP) - Breanna Stewart scored 29 points, making two free throws with 15.6 seconds left for a three-point lead, and Seattle beat Chicago.

The Storm rallied to take a 79-78 lead with 3:11 left as Jewell Loyd's open 3-pointer from the corner capped a 9-0 run.

After Stewart's makes, Allie Quigley curled around a high screen but her long 3 was off the mark. Seattle's Noelle Quinn sealed it by making two free throws with 11.2 seconds left.

Loyd added 25 points for Seattle (15-19), which plays at Phoenix on Wednesday night in the first round of the playoffs. Stewart made 10 of 12 at the stripe as the Storm only missed three free throws in 27 attempts.

Kahleah Copper paced Chicago (12-22) with 18 points. Courtney Vandersloot set a WNBA record in the third quarter for the highest single-season assists average. Her eight assists per game surpassed Ticha Penicheiro's 2002 mark of 7.9.

[StarDust Bum]

Monday’s six-pack

Since 1980, the 10 largest pointspread upsets in college football history:

+43— Howard over UNLV, 9-2-17

+39— Stanford over USC, 10-6-07

+36.5— Texas State over Houston, 9-1-12

+36— Syracuse over Louisville, 9-22-07

+36— UTEP over BYU, 10-26-85

+36— Temple over Virginia Tech, 10-17-98

+35.5— Central Michigan over Western Michigan, 11-11-00

+35— Oregon State over Washington 10-19-85

+33— Appalachian State over Michigan, 9-1-07

+33— Liberty over Baylor, 9-2-17

— Florida State QB Deondre Francois is out for the year after his knee injury Saturday nite.
— UCLA 45, Texas A&M 44— Aggies led 44-10 in 3rd quarter. Really, they did.
— Virginia Tech 31, West Virginia 24— WVU was on the Tech 10-yard line when game ended.
— USA 81, Argentina 76— Americans were down 20 in third quarter. Jeff Van Gundy’s team comes home with the gold medal from the AmeriCup tournament— a great road win.

************************

Monday’s List of 13: Clearing out a cluttered mind…….

13) If you have season tickets for an NFL team, you buy 10 games at regular season prices; the obvious problem is this: 2 of those 10 games are exhibition games.

NFL should reduce the price of those two unwatchable preseason games to $25, which would allow people who don’t normally go to exhibition games to go. At some point, the owners have to stop sucking every last dollar from the consumer. Its not good business. Greed isn’t good.

12) 37 Buccaneers sat out their exhibition game Thursday night; assuming all of those guys are making the squad, that means only 16 players who will be Bucs in Week 1 played vs Washington.

11) NFL owners get stadiums built for them; they’re rich people with a sense of entitlement that is out of control. At some point, NFL owners need to give something back to their communities.

10) Seahawks acquired defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson from the Jets on Friday. In return, Seattle sent WR Jermaine Kearse and a 2018 2nd-round draft pick to New Jersey.

9) A professional golfer named Kelly Kraft (#64 in FedEx Cup standings) made a 12 on the par-5 second hole Friday, shot a 44 on the front nine, then withdrew with a foot injury. Oy.

8) Nigel Williams-Goss transferred from Washington to Gonzaga, sat out 2015-16, then helped the Zags make the Final Four last year. He skipped his senior year at Gonzaga, was drafted in the second round by Utah, but instead of getting a two-way contract with Utah, he is off to Serbia to play ball for $130,000 this season. Curious decision.

7) 49ers cut QB Matt Barkley, who figures to get picked up by someone (Buffalo??). Browns cut Brock Osweiler, who still banks $16M from Cleveland— Osweiler is headed back to Denver with a hefty bank account, but with very little success on the field.

6) Baseball players who are September 1st call-ups making minimum MLB salary ($535,000 a year) will earn $90,628 for the rest of the season.

5) Was reading where Justin Verlander approved his trade to Houston one minute before the trade deadline. Supposedly there was a chance he would be traded to the Cubs, but that fell thru.

4) UL-Lafayette 51, SE Louisiana 48— Ragin’ Cajuns ran two kicks back for TD’s; Lions ran a punt back for a score. With 0:42 left, SE Louisiana scored a TD to make score 49-48- they went for two points and the win, but their QB fumbled and ULL ran it back for two points of their own. Game was 35-35 at halftime.

3) Cleveland Browns’ three QB’s (Kizer-Kessler-Hogan) have a total of zero NFL wins to their credit. Browns are paying Brock Osweiler $15M+ to be a backup in Denver.

Dolphins signed K Cody Parkey, which means RPI alum Andrew Franks is out of a job, at least for now.

2) Indians 11, Tigers 1— Cleveland has won 11 games in a row.

1) Jets, Jaguars, Browns picked up five guys each off the waiver wire; Ram picked up three, the Colts four. Most of the better teams didn’t add anyone— you can get a little bit of a feel of who the better teams are by seeing which teams add which players.

[StarDust Bum]

Playoff Schedule (subject to change)

FIRST ROUND – Elimination games; hosted by Seeds 5 and 6

Wednesday, Sept. 6: Dallas @ Washington, 8 PM ET (ESPN2)
Wednesday, Sept. 6: Seattle @ Phoenix, 10 PM ET (ESPN2)

SECOND ROUND – Elimination games; hosted by Seeds 3 and 4

Sunday, Sept. 10: TBD @ Connecticut, 3 PM ET (ESPN2)
Sunday, Sept. 10, TBD @ New York, 5 PM ET (ESPN2)

SEMIFINALS – Hosted by Seeds 1 and 2 (2-2-1)

Minnesota vs. TBD
Game 1: Tuesday, Sept. 12 — TBD @ Minnesota, 8 PM ET (ESPN2)
Game 2: Thursday, Sept. 14 — TBD @ Minnesota, 8 PM ET (ESPN2)
Game 3: Sunday, Sept. 17
Game 4*: Tuesday, Sept. 19
Game 5*: Thursday, Sept. 21

Los Angeles vs. TBD
Game 1: Tuesday, Sept. 12 — TBD @ Los Angeles, 10 PM ET (ESPN2)
Game 2: Thursday, Sept. 14 — TBD @ Los Angeles, 10 PM ET (ESPN2)
Game 3: Sunday, Sept. 17
Game 4*: Tuesday, Sept. 19
Game 5*: Thursday, Sept. 21

FINALS – Hosted by top Seed (2-2-1)
Game 1: Sunday, Sept. 24
Game 2: Tuesday, Sept. 26
Game 3: Friday, Sept. 29
Game 4*: Sunday, Oct. 1
Game 5*: Wednesday, Oct. 4

*game if necessary

Tiebreakers

Phoenix holds the tiebreaker over Washington on the basis of their head-to-head record.

Playoff Format

Effective with the 2016 season, the WNBA implemented changes to playoff seeding and qualification procedures as well as the postseason format. Under the new postseason structure, the eight teams with the highest winning percentages regardless of conference qualify for the playoffs and are seeded based on their record.

Additional features of the reconfigured playoff structure are as follows:

The number of playoff rounds increased from three to four. The top two seeds receive a bye to the semifinals (third round), and the third and fourth seeds receive a bye to the second round.

Teams will be re-seeded after each postseason round.

The first and second rounds are single elimination. In the first round, the No. 5 seed hosts the No. 8 seed and the No. 6 seed hosts the No. 7 seed. In the second round, the No. 3 seed hosts the lowest-seeded first-round winner and the No. 4 seed hosts the other first-round winner.

The semifinals feature a best-of-five format, with the No. 1 overall seed playing the lowest remaining seed and the No. 2 overall seed meeting the remaining team. The Nos. 1 and 2 seeds will host Games 1, 2 and 5, and the lower-seeded teams will host Games 3 and 4 in their respective series. The WNBA Finals remain best-of-five and follow the same 2-2-1 format.