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

[StarDust Bum]

Early season WNBA 1 vs 2 showdown with Storm hosting Lynx
June 3, 2017

Breanna Stewart is excited to see where the Seattle Storm measure up early in the season against the undefeated Minnesota Lynx.

The teams will square off Saturday in a showdown of the top two teams in The Associated Press WNBA power poll .

''You definitely have to respect what Minnesota has done and the talent that they have,'' Stewart said. ''But as far as our team, we are coming into this game with the same mindset and mentality as the previous games. We want to protect our homecourt and show everyone how much we have grown from last season to this season.''

Seattle (4-1) is off to its best start since 2010, when the team was also 4-1. The Storm's great start was no shock to Minnesota coach Cheryl Reeve.

''I think going into the season, all of us knew that Seattle finished the season strong last year,'' she said. ''Really found their identity. Wasn't a surprise they'd come in and be a team doing well. Not a surprise to any of us in the league they are doing so well.''

The Lynx (6-0) have found ways to win despite Maya Moore being in a bit of a scoring slump to start the season. It hasn't mattered as Sylvia Fowles has picked up the slack, earning WNBA player of the month honors for May. She's averaging 20 points and 10.7 rebounds for the Lynx.

''It's early, both teams are wanting to start off and score the basketball,'' Moore said. ''Always a tough team to play at home. It will be a fun challenge for us early off in the season.''

This is the fourth matchup between the top two teams in the AP power poll since it started last season. Minnesota has been involved in all of them, going 2-1 against Los Angeles in the regular season last year. Stewart is no stranger to them, going 6-0 at UConn in games involving the top two teams in college basketball.

''A 1-versus-2 showdown does bring me back to college and I am looking forward to the game and the electric KeyArena atmosphere,'' she said.

This also isn't the first time that Minnesota (6-0) has gone into Seattle unbeaten. The Lynx won their first seven games in 2014 before losing in Seattle.

''They play great at home and we enjoy that challenge of going there and trying to beat a team at home,'' Reeve said.

[StarDust Bum]

WNBA

Saturday, June 3

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Trend Report
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7:00 PM
DALLAS vs. INDIANA
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Dallas's last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Dallas's last 5 games when playing on the road against Indiana
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Indiana's last 5 games at home
Indiana is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games at home

8:00 PM
CONNECTICUT vs. SAN ANTONIO
The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Connecticut's last 12 games when playing on the road against San Antonio
Connecticut is 2-2-2 ATS in its last 6 games when playing San Antonio
San Antonio is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Connecticut
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of San Antonio's last 10 games when playing Connecticut

9:00 PM
MINNESOTA vs. SEATTLE
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Minnesota's last 9 games when playing on the road against Seattle
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Minnesota's last 7 games
Seattle is 16-8 SU in its last 24 games when playing at home against Minnesota
Seattle is 8-0-1 ATS in its last 9 games at home


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WNBA
Dunkel

Saturday, June 3


Minnesota @ Seattle

Game 605-606
June 3, 2017 @ 9:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Minnesota
121.875
Seattle
113.626
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Minnesota
by 8
162
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Minnesota
by 3
158
Dunkel Pick:
Minnesota
(-3); Over

Connecticut @ San Antonio

Game 603-604
June 3, 2017 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Connecticut
111.157
San Antonio
105.124
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Connecticut
by 6
164
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Connecticut
by 1 1/2
158
Dunkel Pick:
Connecticut
(-1 1/2); Over

Dallas @ Indiana

Game 601-602
June 3, 2017 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Dallas
101.099
Indiana
112.893
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Indiana
by 12
165
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Indiana
by 3
161
Dunkel Pick:
Indiana
(-3); Over

[StarDust Bum]

WNBA Basketball Trend Report

DALLAS (3 - 3) at INDIANA (2 - 4) - 6/3/2017, 7:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
DALLAS is 5-15 ATS (-11.5 Units) against Eastern conference opponents over the last 2 seasons.
DALLAS is 5-15 ATS (-11.5 Units) in non-conference games over the last 2 seasons.
DALLAS is 10-19 ATS (-10.9 Units) after scoring 75 points or more over the last 2 seasons.

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

CONNECTICUT (1 - 5) at SAN ANTONIO (0 - 6) - 6/3/2017, 8:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
SAN ANTONIO is 19-6 ATS (+12.4 Units) after allowing 75 points or more over the last 2 seasons.
CONNECTICUT is 25-14 ATS (+9.6 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
CONNECTICUT is 15-6 ATS (+8.4 Units) in road games over the last 2 seasons.
CONNECTICUT is 15-6 ATS (+8.4 Units) in a road game where where the total is greater than or equal to 150 over the last 2 seasons.
CONNECTICUT is 82-58 ATS (+18.2 Units) in June games since 1997.
CONNECTICUT is 19-10 ATS (+8.0 Units) in May, June, or July games over the last 2 seasons.
CONNECTICUT is 7-0 ATS (+7.0 Units) in road games when playing with 2 days rest over the last 2 seasons.
CONNECTICUT is 15-5 ATS (+9.5 Units) against Western conference opponents over the last 2 seasons.
CONNECTICUT is 13-4 ATS (+8.6 Units) after a division game over the last 2 seasons.
CONNECTICUT is 15-5 ATS (+9.5 Units) in non-conference games over the last 2 seasons.
CONNECTICUT is 21-10 ATS (+10.0 Units) after allowing 75 points or more over the last 2 seasons.
CONNECTICUT is 19-9 ATS (+9.1 Units) after scoring 75 points or more over the last 2 seasons.
CONNECTICUT is 14-5 ATS (+8.5 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 2 seasons.
CONNECTICUT is 17-8 ATS (+8.2 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 77+ points/game over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History

CONNECTICUT is 4-1 against the spread versus SAN ANTONIO over the last 3 seasons
CONNECTICUT is 5-0 straight up against SAN ANTONIO over the last 3 seasons
4 of 5 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

MINNESOTA (6 - 0) at SEATTLE (4 - 1) - 6/3/2017, 9:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
SEATTLE is 117-79 ATS (+30.1 Units) in home games vs. division opponents since 1997.
SEATTLE is 59-35 ATS (+20.5 Units) in home games after a non-conference game since 1997.

Head-to-Head Series History
SEATTLE is 5-4 against the spread versus MINNESOTA over the last 3 seasons
MINNESOTA is 8-1 straight up against SEATTLE over the last 3 seasons
5 of 9 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Wings (3-3) at Fever (2-4)
Date: June 03, 2017 7:00 PM EDT

The Dallas Wings and Indiana Fever will play each other for the second time in five days when they meet Saturday night at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

Dallas (3-3) rolled to a 27-point win over Indiana at its home arena on Tuesday night. Forward Karima Christmas-Kelly led all scorers with 27 points in the 89-62 blowout and guard Allisha Gray narrowly missed a double-double with 14 points and nine rebounds.

Christmas-Kelly's 27 points against Indiana marked a career high. She won a WNBA championship with the Fever in 2012 but has spent the past two seasons with Dallas.

"(Karima) is the gas that runs our car," Wings guard Skylar Diggins-Smith told the Dallas Morning News. "She's one of the most underrated players in the league, in my opinion."

Indiana (2-4) will aim for better success now that the matchup has shifted to the Midwest. The Fever have gone 2-0 at home and 0-4 on the road to start the season.

Dallas will try to regroup after losing 93-89 to the New York Liberty on Friday night, dropping the Wings' record on the road to 2-2 this season. Diggins-Smith led the team with 19 points against the Liberty, and center Theresa Plaisance added 18.

As Dallas deals with short rest between games, Indiana hopes to reverse a disturbing trend. Three of the Fever's four losses have been by 20-plus points. Indiana has surrendered a league-worst 87.3 points per game while averaging 75.0 points on offense.

Center Natalie Achonwa was the only player to score in double digits for the Fever in the first meeting with the Wings. Achonwa finished with 13 points off the bench as she made 3 of 4 shots from the field and 7 of 8 free throws.

For the season, forward Candice Dupree leads the Fever with 13.0 points per game. Guards Tiffany Mitchell (11.5 points) and Shenise Johnson (10.4 points) are next in scoring average.

Fever forward Erlana Larkins, who stands 6-foot-1, has contributed in the paint with averages of 5.7 points and 6.5 rebounds.

"Because I'm shorter, I like to use my strength and try to get people as far under the basket as I can and then turn around and shoot," Larkins told the team's official website. "Then, of course, I'm just trying to get points off of offensive rebounds."

WNB HEAD TO HEAD

May 30, 2017 Score ATS Results
IND 62 Under: 151
DAL « 89 Cover: 22.5
Tools: Recaps

Sep 18, 2016 Score ATS Results
DAL 60 Under: 143
IND « 83 Cover: 15
Tools: Recaps

Jun 25, 2016 Score ATS Results
IND « 92 Cover: 11
DAL 87 Over: 179
Tools: Recaps

May 14, 2016 Score ATS Results
DAL « 90 Cover: 15
IND 79 Over: 169
Tools: Recaps

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Sun (1-5) at Stars (0-6)
Date: June 03, 2017 8:00 PM EDT

Both the San Antonio Stars and the Connecticut Sun have begun their respective 2017 WNBA seasons in an inauspicious manner, but one of the teams will gain some momentum with a rare win when they square off on Saturday at the AT&T Center in San Antonio.

The Sun have lost five of their first six games, including a 78-76 loss to Washington on Wednesday that Connecticut could have, and likely should have, won. The Sun led by nine points midway through the fourth quarter before getting outplayed in the end game, especially in aggressiveness.

Connecticut outscored Washington by 18 points from the floor but committed 26 fouls compared to 16 for the Mystics. Washington converted 26 of its 29 chances from the foul line and Connecticut went just 6 of 11.

"It was just us fouling too much," Sun forward-guard Jonquel Jones said. "We just have to play straight-up defense without giving up too much leverage in terms of being able to shoot free throws early in the quarter."

Guard-forward Shekinna Stricklen tied a career-high with 20 points and drilled six of Connecticut's 10 3-pointers in the loss while Jones recorded her second consecutive double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds for the Sun.

"My teammates were looking for me," Stricklen said. "I was just moving. They were setting good screens and I was just being smart, knowing they were running at me. Pump faking. I had confidence in my shot."

It was the third two-point loss of the season for Connecticut, but Sun coach and general manager Curt Miller called the game a step forward because of the way his team executed most of its game plan.

"Great game -- we really bothered them with what we did," Miller said. "No one made more than five baskets against us. When the game was on the line, Washington put their heads down and got calls and we didn't."

This will be the third of a three-game road trip for the Sun, which began the trip with their first win of the year in Chicago last Sunday.

While Connecticut is fighting to get back on the winning track, the Stars (0-6) are still looking for their first victory of the season.

San Antonio lost to Atlanta 77-70 on Wednesday despite a huge contribution from its reserves, which outscored the Stars' starters 45-25.

The Stars' loss dropped them to their worst start in franchise history; the 2015 team also lost its first six games. San Antonio has not won a home game since July 6, a span of 10 games over two seasons.

Forwards Monique Currie (14 points) and Dearica Hamby (13 points and eight rebounds) gave the Stars a boost off the bench. But San Antonio could not sustain the lead it built at halftime, when it held Atlanta to 36 points, the fewest points San Antonio has allowed in a first half all season.

For the second consecutive game, the Stars outshot their opponent (41 percent to 38.6 percent). San Antonio also outrebounded Atlanta 34-33 and matched the Dream in team assists with 18.

The Stars missed nine free throws and committed 22 turnovers, which Atlanta converted into 26 points

"It was more so the fourth quarter," said Stars guard Kayla McBride, who had just six points in 30 minutes. "We had too many turnovers, too many breakdowns. We let them get easy points and we couldn't make shots."


WNB HEAD TO HEAD

Aug 30, 2016 Score ATS Results
SA 62 Under: 151
CONN « 89 Cover: 20
Tools: Recaps

Jun 19, 2016 Score ATS Results
SA 90 Cover: 2.5
CONN « 93 Over: 183
Tools: Recaps

May 19, 2016 Score ATS Results
CONN « 72 Under: 140
SA 68 Cover: 0
Tools: Recaps

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Lynx (6-0) at Storm (4-1)
Date: June 03, 2017 9:00 PM EDT

The undefeated Minnesota Lynx face what might be their toughest test of the young season, when they travel to Seattle to take on Jewell Loyd and the Storm on Saturday.

The Lynx (6-0) are the WNBA's only remaining unbeaten squad. They have feasted on weaker competition, though. Their last three opponents were winless.

The Storm (4-1) are tied with the Atlanta Dream for the second-best record in the league and are off to their best start since 2010. Loyd is second in the WNBA in scoring, averaging 21.4 points per game.

"One of the things that's special about this team is we have a lot of weapons and a lot of people who are willing to play as a team," Seattle coach Jenny Boucek told the Seattle Times. "Different nights, it's going to be different people depending on what the defense is doing and the matchups."

Minnesota coach Cheryl Reeve isn't surprised by the Storm's strong start to the season.

"I think all of us knew Seattle finished the season strong last year, found their identity,' Reeve told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. "It's not a surprise they'd be a team that would come in and be doing well.'

No one is surprised about Minnesota's early success, either. The Lynx appear to be motivated after losing to the Los Angeles Sparks in last year's WNBA Finals.

Reeve was named WNBA Coach of the Month in May, and center Sylvia Fowles was named Western Conference Player of the Month.

Fowles shot 61.1 percent from the floor in May, averaging 20 points, 10.7 rebounds, 2.3 blocks and 2.0 steals per game.

The Lynx are coming off back-to-back blowout wins over Connecticut and San Antonio, but have been tested in previous games. They beat Dallas 89-87 on May 20 and Connecticut 80-78 on May 23.

"I like that we're finding ways to win,' Reeve told the Star-Tribune. "While not necessarily playing, quote, our best. I think we've had games where we've played very well, for sure. It's not going to be every night you play your best. But, on the nights that maybe we're off a little for whatever reason, we're finding a way.'

The Lynx won all four meetings with the Storm last season and have beaten Seattle in nine of the last 10 meetings.

"We're taking things one game at a time and focus on that," Seattle forward Breanna Stewart told the team's website. "You want to have a strong season as a whole, not just the start."


WNB HEAD TO HEAD

Aug 28, 2016 Score ATS Results
SEA 80 Over: 172
MIN « 92 Cover: 1
Tools: Recaps

Jul 22, 2016 Score ATS Results
SEA 72 Cover: 6
MIN « 79 Under: 151
Tools: Recaps

Jun 19, 2016 Score ATS Results
MIN « 96 Cover: 1
SEA 84 Over: 180
Tools: Recaps

May 22, 2016 Score ATS Results
MIN « 78 Under: 149
SEA 71 Cover: 2.5
Tools: Recaps

[StarDust Bum]

SATURDAY, JUNE 3

GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

DAL at IND 07:00 PM

DAL +3.5

O 163.0

CONN at SA 08:00 PM

SA +3.5

O 157.5

MIN at SEA 09:00 PM

SEA +4.0

O 158.5

[StarDust Bum]

WNBA Capsules
June 3, 2017

SEATTLE (AP) Sylvia Fowles scored 26 points on 10-of-12 shooting, Rebekkah Brunson made 9 of 10 shots from the field and finished with 21 points and the Minnesota Lynx beat the Seattle Storm 100-77 on Saturday night.

Lindsay Whalen added 19 points on 8-of-10 shooting, and Seimone Augustus had 13 points for Minnesota (7-0). The Lynx have won 10 of 11 games against the Storm (4-2).

Crystal Langhorne and Alysha Clark scored 16 points apiece and combined to shoot 13 of 16 from the field for the Storm. The rest of the team shot 34 percent (16 of 47).

SUN 85, STARS 77

SAN ANTONIO (AP) - Courtney Williams scored a career-best 23 points on 10-of-11 shooting and Connecticut beat winless San Antonio.

Williams also had 10 rebounds for the Sun (2-5). Alyssa Thomas added 18 points and seven assists, and Jasmine Thomas had 13 points.

Kayla McBride scored 27 points to lead the Stars (0-7), who are off to the worst start in franchise history and haven't won at home since last July. Kelsey Plum, the No. 1 overall draft pick, made her first WNBA start and had eight points and seven assists.

FEVER 91, WINGS 85

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Candice Dupree scored 18 points, Briann January added 16 and they combined to make six free throws in the last 38.1 seconds in Indiana's victory over Dallas.

January also had seven assists for Indiana (3-4). Glory Johnson led the Wings (3-4) with 2 points and 13 rebounds.

[StarDust Bum]

Sunday’s six-pack

Over/under win totals for college football teams this fall:

— Purdue 2.5, over -$125

— Notre Dame 7.5, under -$120

— Oregon 7.5, over -$125

— Penn State, 10

— Rice 3.5, over -$120

— Ohio State 10.5, over -$120

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Sunday’s List of 13: Random thoughts on a spring Sunday……

13) Edinson Volquez was in a nasty-looking collision while covering first base in the first inning Saturday- it was the first batter of the game. Who knew he would go on to no-hit Arizona, in a very gutty performance- he walked only two batters in a 3-0 Miami win. Impressive.

Volquez threw 98 pitches, the first no-hitter with less than 100 pitches since Philip Humber’s perfect game five years ago.

12) Scalpers in Nashville were charging very high prices for Game 3 of the Stanley Cup finals, the first NHL finals game in Predators’ history; as of 2pm Saturday, cheapest seat in the sold-out house was being scalped for $1,200.

11) Phil Mickelson is skipping the US Open to attend his daughter’s high school graduation. His daughter is giving the commencement address at her graduation— she is going to college at Brown University in the fall, which is a long way from her San Diego home.

10) Wish they’d put the World Series of Poker back on ESPN; the events have started out in Las Vegas already— watching poker was lot better than most of the drivel ESPN has on now during late night and daytime hours.

9) There is actually a movie called I Spit on Your Grave, which must’ve done well at the box office, since they’ve made two sequels. Think I’ll pass on all three of them.

8) Aaron Rodgers’ last 18 games against the Vikings: (12-6 W-L record); he’s thrown 40 TD’s with only six INT’s.

7) Good news for people who watch baseball on the dish; Hawk Harrelson is retiring— he will work White Sox games on Sunday next year, but otherwise, Jason Benetti will be the voice of the White Sox, which is great news, because Benetti is really good and Harrelson isn’t— he is the old guy yelling at kids to get off his lawn.

I liked The Hawk when he worked Red Sox games on WSBK in the late 70’s/early 80’s, but now he crabs about the umpires and yearns for the good ol’ days way too much.

6) Last year in the NFL, Bucs’ WR Mike Evans was targeted 39 times on passes of 20+ yards, most in the league. Next-highest were TY Hilton (33) and Terrell Pryor (32).

5) If you pinch-run in a game, it doesn’t count as a game played, unless you stay in the game. So if Cal Ripken had just pinch-run in a game during his great streak, it would’ve ended the streak. If you pinch-hit, the streak is extended, but not if you pinch-run.

4) Albert Pujols made his 600th home run a big one– he hit a grand slam in the 4th inning Saturday night, giving the Angels a 7-1 lead.

Pujols is just the 9th big leaguer to hit 600 home runs.

A 30-ish fan in LF bleachers caught Pujols’ grand slam; they put him on TV for half an inning, but the guy seemed like he was hyperventilating he was so excited- he didn’t have a lot to say. Wonder if he was thinking about what he was going to ask Pujols for, in exchange for the 600th home run baseball.

Two innings later, Angels unveiled the Pujols 600th home run bobblehead they’re giving away on July 1st. I’d ask for one of those, for a start.

3) Garrett Cole is the Pirates’ best pitcher; they’re 6-6 in his starts this year, but a closer look shows that if you bet the Pirates in a “first 5 innings” bet in his starts, you’d be 1-9-2- they’ve led only one of his 12 starts after five innings. Was very surprised to see that.

2) Red Sox entered Saturday hitting .213 as a team when they have two strikes on them; that is the best two-strike batting average of any major league team. Important for pitchers to get ahead in the count.

1) Friday afternoon, former big leaguer Luis Gonzalez helped pull a woman from a car that was in an accident and was next to another car that was in flames. Good for him.

Gonzalez got the game-winning hit in the clinching game of the 2001 World Series for the Diamondbacks.

[StarDust Bum]

SCHEDULE FOR SUNDAY JUNE 4, 2017
Time (ET) Away Home Site
3:00 PM Atlanta Dream Washington Mystics Verizon Center
3:00 PM Phoenix Mercury New York Liberty Madison Square Garden

SCHEDULE FOR TUESDAY JUNE 6, 2017
Time (ET) Away Home Site
8:00 PM Seattle Storm San Antonio Stars AT&T Center
8:00 PM Washington Mystics Dallas Wings College Park Center
10:30 PM Chicago Sky Los Angeles Sparks Staples Center

SCHEDULE FOR WEDNESDAY JUNE 7, 2017
Time (ET) Away Home Site
11:00 AM Atlanta Dream New York Liberty Madison Square Garden
7:00 PM Phoenix Mercury Indiana Fever Bankers Life Fieldhouse

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


Updated Sun Jun 4 1:04 AM EDT


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

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 Atlanta Dream4 1 0.800 2 2-1 2-1 2-0 4-1 W 2

#3 Seattle Storm4 2 0.667 2.5 0-2 4-1 0-1 4-2 L 1

#4 Washington Mystics4 2 0.667 2.5 3-0 3-0 1-2 4-2 W 3

#5 Phoenix Mercury4 2 0.667 2.5 2-1 2-2 2-0 4-2 W 2

#6 Los Angeles Sparks3 2 0.600 3 1-0 2-0 1-2 3-2 W 1

#7 New York Liberty3 3 0.500 3.5 0-0 2-2 1-1 3-3 W 1

#8 Dallas Wings3 4 0.429 4 2-2 1-1 2-3 3-4 L 2

#9 Indiana Fever3 4 0.429 4 1-0 3-0 0-4 3-4 W 1

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

#11 Chicago Sky1 6 0.143 6 1-4 0-4 1-2 1-6 L 4

#12 San Antonio Stars0 7 0.000 7 0-3 0-3 0-4 0-7 L 7

[StarDust Bum]

Mercury's Taurasi points for more against Liberty

Three days ago, Diana Taurasi became the WNBA's all-time leader in career 3-pointers.

On Sunday afternoon, Taurasi looks to add to her total when the Phoenix Mercury visit the New York Liberty.

Taurasi began this season with 900 3-pointers in 367 regular-season games since entering the league out of Connecticut in 2004. She sank a career-high 121 3-pointers in 2006 and has never made fewer than 56 3-pointers in any non-injury season.

It put the guard within six of matching Katie Smith coming into the season. She matched Smith in a 107-65 win over Dallas on May 27 and surpassed Smith less than five minutes into a 99-91 win at Chicago on Thursday.

"This record, it'll last for a little bit, (but) I'm sure someone will break it the next couple of years," Taurasi said after hitting a career-high eight 3-pointers.

Taurasi also is second on the league's all-time scoring list after scoring 37 points Thursday. She ended the game with 7,399 career points after moving past Tamika Catchings and is 89 shy of matching the all-time scoring record held by Tina Thompson.

"It's a privilege for me to coach you and just to watch you," Phoenix coach Sandy Brondello said before presenting the game ball to Taurasi.

While Taurasi looks to increase her points and 3-point totals, the Mercury will try to get a third straight win.

Taurasi did not play when Phoenix dropped a 69-67 decision at home to New York on May 23 but since returning from a one-game suspension for a flagrant-2 foul, she is 14 of 23 from the field.

Besides Taurasi's big games, the Mercury are getting significant production from Brittney Griner. Griner scored 28 points on Thursday and is averaging a career-high 21.5 points so far.

The Liberty dropped two straight to Seattle and Los Angeles after beating Phoenix. New York rebounded with Friday's 93-89 win over the Dallas Wings in the second game of a five-game homestand.

Tina Charles scored a career-high 36 points, including 22 in the second half as the Liberty held on after taking a nine-point lead with 2:47 left.

It was the first of several games the Liberty will play without Epiphanny Prince and Kia Vaughn. Both players are fulfilling overseas obligations which will run through the end of June, and with Brittany Boyd out because of an injury, the Liberty are playing without three of their top seven scorers.

"This win was excruciatingly important for us," coach Bill Laimbeer said. "We don't know what's going to happen in the next six games when the players are not here. We're going to scrap and fight. Then we'll see how good we are at that point when they return."

While Charles helped significantly with the best game of her career, the Liberty had others chip in. Shavonte Zellous scored a season-high 27 points after struggling most of the season, while Kiah Stokes totaled 13 and 15 rebounds.

Those showings helped the Liberty outscore an opponent in the second half for the first time this season, though Laimbeer would like to see better endings than allowing a 9-2 run in the final minutes.

"If we lost this game, especially in the end when we had the game won, that would have been a heart-stopping moment," Laimbeer said. We would have to dig deep to get out of that one."

[StarDust Bum]

Mystics try to shoot straight at home against Dream

In their last game, the Washington Mystics showed they could win despite shooting poorly. All season the Atlanta Dream have shown they can win without star Angel McCoughtry.

The Mystics play host to the Dream on Sunday at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C.

The Dream (4-1) ended May with a 77-70 win over the San Antonio Stars behind 16 points from Tiffany Hayes. Three other players reached double figures, including Bria Holmes with 15 points.

Layshia Clarendon added 13 and a game-high eight assists. Atlanta trailed the winless Stars 39-36 at halftime, before taking control in the second half.

"We came out a little lackluster at the beginning, and we had to pick it up," said Sancho Lyttle, who had 14 points. "They have good shooters and good spacers, so we were a little too spread out at first, until we figured out where we were supposed to be. Then the game was different."

This season, Atlanta needed to figure out how to offset the absence of McCoughtry, a member of the 2016 gold medal-winning U.S. Olympic team.

One of the league's top scorers, McCoughtry announced in January that she would take off the 2017 season to rest.

Wednesday's win showed how the Dream are finding their way without a player who averaged 19.5 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.8 steals last season.

"We played against a team that was fighting real hard, trying not to stay undefeated," Dream coach Michael Cooper said following the victory over the Stars.

"In those types of games, it's not necessarily about what you do but who you are."

Two days later after the latest win, Hayes was selected Eastern Conference Player of the Month and with good reason. The 5-foot-10 guard is averaging 19.8 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.4 steals.

Washington (4-2) won its third straight game with a 78-76 victory over the Connecticut Sun on Wednesday despite trailing 73-64 with 4:33 remaining and shooting 35.4 percent from the field.

"A month from now we'll only remember it as a win," Mystics coach Mike Thibault said. "In the moment, it feels really ugly. We made a lot of mistakes and figured out a way to defend hard enough to win."

Elena Delle Donne's 3-point play with 48 seconds remaining capped the comeback by putting Washington ahead 78-75. The 2015 WNBA Most Valuable Player shot a dismal 3 of 15 from the field, but she recorded her first double-double of the season with 13 points and 12 rebounds plus five blocked shots.

"When shots aren't falling early in the season sometimes that will make a team lose a game, and we were able to stay in the game because of our defense and our rebounding," said Delle Donne, who is tied for sixth in scoring with Hayes.

"That's huge. It's something we will continue to improve and get better, and hopefully our shots will fall next time."

Tayler Hill led the Mystics with 18 points. Krystal Thomas had 11 points and nine rebounds.

Washington went 2-1 against Atlanta last season.

[StarDust Bum]

Date W/L/T % Units

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
05/31/2017......................NO PLAY........................................
05/30/2017................ 2-2-0................ 50.00%................. -1.00
05/28/2017................ 3-1-2................ 75.00%................ +9.50
05/27/2017................ 1-3-0................ 25.00%............... -11.50
05/26/2017................ 4-2-0................ 66.67%................ +9.00
05/25/2017.................1-1-0................ 50.00%...................-0.50
05/24/2017................ 2-0-0 ...............100.00%................+10.00
05/23/2017................ 1-3-0 ................25.00%................ -11.50
05/21/2017................ 2-2-0................ 50.00%................. -1.00
05/20/2017................ 3-1-0................ 75.00%................. +9.50
05/19/2017................ 4-2-0................ 66.67%.............,... + 9.00
05/18/2017................ 1-1-0................ 50.00%................. - 0.50
05/17/2017.................1-1-0.................50.00%..................- 0.50

Totals:.......................29 - 25...............53.70%.................+ 7.50

best bets:

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
05/31/2017......................NO PLAY........................................
05/30/2017................ 2-2-0................ 50.00%................ -1.00
05/28/2017................ 3 - 1 - 2............. 75.00%.............. +9.50
05/27/2017................ 1 -3 - 0............ . 25.00%......... .... -11.50
05/26/2017.................4 - 2............... ...66.67%.......... ....+9.00
05/25/2017.................1 - 1 - 0..............50.00%.................-0.50
05/24/2017.................1 - 0..................100.00%...............+1.00
05/23/2017.................1 - 3............... ...25.00%.................-2.30
05/21/2017.................2 - 2............... ...50.00%..................-1.00
05/20/2017.................3 - 0............... ..100.00%................+3.00
05/19/2017.................4 - 2.............. .....66.66%................+9.00
05/18/2017.................1 - 1-0............ ....50.00%................- 0.50
05/17/2017.................1 - 1-0............ ....50.00%................- 0.50


Totals:......................28 - 24.................53.84%..................+ 1.20

[StarDust Bum]

WNBA
Dunkel

Sunday, June 4


Phoenix @ New York

Game 609-610
June 4, 2017 @ 3:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Phoenix
106.705
New York
114.947
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
New York
by 8
155
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
New York
Pick
160
Dunkel Pick:
New York
Under

Atlanta @ Washington

Game 607-608
June 4, 2017 @ 3:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Atlanta
111.626
Washington
114.309
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Washington
by 2 1/2
164
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Washington
by 6
156
Dunkel Pick:
Atlanta
(+6); Over




WNBA
Long Sheet

Sunday, June 4

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

ATLANTA (4 - 1) at WASHINGTON (4 - 2) - 6/4/2017, 3:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

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

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

PHOENIX (4 - 2) at NEW YORK (3 - 3) - 6/4/2017, 3:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

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

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




WNBA

Sunday, June 4

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

3:00 PM
ATLANTA vs. WASHINGTON
Atlanta is 3-6 SU in its last 9 games on the road
Atlanta is 10-4 SU in its last 14 games when playing on the road against Washington
Washington is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
Washington is 7-15 SU in its last 22 games

3:00 PM
PHOENIX vs. NEW YORK
Phoenix is 7-16 SU in its last 23 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Phoenix's last 5 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of New York's last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 10 of New York's last 12 games at home

[StarDust Bum]

SUNDAY, JUNE 4

GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

PHO at NY 03:00 PM

NY +1.0

O 160.5

ATL at WAS 03:00 PM

ATL +5.0

O 158.5