Announcement

**StarDust Bum** · 07-09-2017, 02:27 AM

WNBA Capsules
July 8, 2017

UNCASVILLE, Conn. (AP) Jonquel Jones scored 22 points, Alyssa Thomas hit the go-ahead jumper with 36 seconds and the Connecticut Sun overcame a 22-point deficit to beat the Washington Mystics 96-92 on Saturday night.

Thomas finished with 19 points to help Connecticut (10-7) win its fourth straight game and move past Washington (10-8) for the Eastern Conference lead. The comeback broke the franchise record and was two points short of the WNBA record for a second-half rally set by Washington in 2011 against Los Angeles.

The Mystics led 75-53 with 5:03 left in the third. Jones' layup sparked a 20-6 Sun run to close the quarter and cut the deficit to eight.

Rallying from 22 down topped the previous franchise mark that was set in 2006 when Connecticut came back from a 19-point deficit against Phoenix. It also was

Thomas scored five straight points to tie it at 86 with 4:31 left, and her late jumper finally put Connecticut in front. Washington had two opportunities to tie or regain the lead, but Elena Delle Donne and Tierra Ruffin-Pratt missed jumpers.

Delle Donne scored a season-high 28 for Washington. The Mystics have lost three straight for the first time this season.

SKY 100, LYNX 76

ROSEMONT, Ill. (AP) - Courtney Vandersloot scored a season-high 26 points, added seven rebounds and Chicago toppled WNBA-leading Minnesota for its first home victory of the season.

The Lynx (13-2) lost for the first time on the road this season. They were coming off an 88-77 home victory over defending champion Los Angeles on Thursday night in a rematch of the WNBA Finals.

Tamera Young added 18 points, and Stefanie Dolson had 12 for Chicago (4-12). The Sky had lost three straight and five of six. They reached 100 points for the first time since July 2016, shot 59.7 percent from the field and 47.1 percent from 3-point range and had 31 assists.

Chicago led 54-47 at the half. Vandersloot's 3-pointer with 8:10 left in the third pushed the lead to 10 and the Sky entered the fourth up 76-57.

Rebekkah Brunson scored 22 points to lead Minnesota. Sylvia Fowles added 13 for the Lynx.

STORM 81, SPARKS 69

SEATTLE (AP) - Breanna Stewart had 26 points and seven rebounds and Seattle beat Los Angeles.

Jewell Loyd added 22 points, and Sue Bird had 15 for Seattle (8-9). The Storm had lost four of five to slip to fifth in the Western Conference.

The Sparks (12-5) led 39-37 at the half, but the Storm rallied in the second half, outscoring defending champion Los Angeles by 14 over the final two quarters. Loyd made a 3-pointer with 9:15 to go in the third, sparking a 16-5 run for 53-46 lead. Stewart's two free throws with 5:33 remaining in the fourth made it 69-59 and Seattle cruised from there.

The Storm shot 52 percent from the field and held the Sparks to 37 percent.

Nneka Ogwumike led the Sparks with 21 points, and Candace Parker added 10.

Los Angeles has lost two straight after winning eight in a row, also falling at Minnesota on Thursday night in a rematch of the WNBA Finals.

**StarDust Bum** · 07-09-2017, 02:32 AM

SCHEDULE FOR SUNDAY JULY 9, 2017
Time (ET) Away Home Site
3:00 PM Dallas Wings Atlanta Dream McCamish Pavilion
6:00 PM New York Liberty Phoenix Mercury Talking Stick Resort Arena

SCHEDULE FOR WEDNESDAY JULY 12, 2017
Time (ET) Away Home Site
12:00 PM San Antonio Stars Indiana Fever Bankers Life Fieldhouse
12:30 PM Dallas Wings Chicago Sky Allstate Arena
3:00 PM Connecticut Sun Seattle Storm KeyArena
10:00 PM Atlanta Dream Phoenix Mercury Talking Stick Resort Arena

SCHEDULE FOR THURSDAY JULY 13, 2017
Time (ET) Away Home Site
10:30 PM Connecticut Sun Los Angeles Sparks Staples Center

SCHEDULE FOR FRIDAY JULY 14, 2017
Time (ET) Away Home Site
7:00 PM Washington Mystics Indiana Fever Bankers Life Fieldhouse
7:30 PM Chicago Sky New York Liberty Madison Square Garden
10:00 PM Minnesota Lynx Phoenix Mercury Talking Stick Resort Arena

SCHEDULE FOR SATURDAY JULY 15, 2017
Time (ET) Away Home Site
9:00 PM Atlanta Dream Seattle Storm KeyArena

Updated Sun Jul 9 1:04 AM EDT

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

LEAGUE STANDINGS

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

#1 Minnesota Lynx13 2 0.867 - 7-0 6-1 7-1 8-2 L 1

#2 Los Angeles Sparks12 5 0.706 2 5-3 7-0 5-5 8-2 L 2

#3 Phoenix Mercury9 6 0.600 4 4-4 4-4 5-2 6-4 W 2

#4 Connecticut Sun10 7 0.588 4 6-3 4-3 6-4 8-2 W 4

#5 Washington Mystics10 8 0.556 4.5 7-1 7-2 3-6 4-6 L 3

#6 New York Liberty8 7 0.533 5 1-4 5-3 3-4 6-4 W 1

#7 Dallas Wings9 9 0.500 5.5 5-5 5-5 4-4 6-4 W 1

#8 Seattle Storm8 9 0.471 6 4-3 6-4 2-5 3-7 W 1

#9 Atlanta Dream7 8 0.467 6 4-6 4-3 3-5 3-7 W 1

#10 Indiana Fever7 9 0.438 6.5 4-3 5-3 2-6 5-5 L 2

#11 Chicago Sky4 12 0.250 9.5 2-7 1-7 3-5 3-7 W 1

#12 San Antonio Stars1 16 0.059 13 0-10 1-8 0-8 1-9 L 2

**StarDust Bum** · 07-09-2017, 02:35 AM

Wings aim to ride potent backcourt vs. Dream

The Dallas Wings' backcourt duo of Skylar Diggins-Smith and Allisha Gray were too much for Atlanta on Wednesday. Diggins-Smith and Gray combined for 41 points in a 94-84 win over the Dream.

Atlanta (7-8) will be out for revenge Sunday when the Wings visit McCamish Pavilion for a rematch.

Dallas (9-9) is playing some of its best basketball of the season, having won four of five. Diggins-Smith is among the WNBA leaders in scoring, averaging 17.5 points per game.

Gray, Glory Johnson and Karima Christmas-Kelly also are averaging double figures, giving the Wings a balanced and high-powered attack. Dallas is fourth in the league in scoring, averaging 84.7 points.

The Dream also like to push the pace and have a hot point guard coming off a career performance. Veteran Layshia Clarendon dropped a career-high 27 points, 19 in the first half, in the Dream's 89-68 win over the Indiana Fever on Friday.

Atlanta coach Michael Cooper called out Clarendon after the Dream's loss to the Wings, imploring her to do more for her team.

"(Coach) Cooper was riding me before the game, so I think that helped me a little bit," Clarendon said after Friday's win. "He benched me in the Dallas game, because I started with two turnovers, so a little bit of credit to him for riding me. The team goes as I go, and that's a lot of pressure to carry, but it's a big honor too."

Clarendon also had a team-high eight rebounds and six assists in helping give the slumping Dream a needed victory at home. Atlanta had lost four of five before the win over the Fever.

"Layshia Clarendon is an extension of me on the court, and when we're not doing well she catches the brunt of that negative energy," Cooper said after Friday's game. "So I have to give her credit because she established the way we were going to play. Every time she does that, we have a good game.

"She doesn't have to score a lot, but she has to make sure we get into our offense, and I thought she did a great job of that tonight."

The Dream are expected to have forward Sancho Lyttle back in the lineup for Sunday's game. Lyttle, who just returned from international play, took an elbow to the nose against Dallas on Wednesday and missed the Indiana game. Lyttle has been upgraded to probable for Sunday's game.

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

Liberty gun for sweep of Mercury

The New York Liberty will be going for a season sweep of the Phoenix Mercury on Sunday.

The Liberty won 69-67 in Phoenix on March 23, when star guard Diana Taurasi was sitting out for the Mercury because of a one-game suspension because of a flagrant foul.

New York had an easier time in an 88-72 home victory on June 4.

The teams' final meeting of the season will be in Phoenix.

The Mercury (9-6) have won two games in a row, while the Liberty (8-7) snapped a three-game losing streak with a 79-70 victory at the Seattle Storm on Thursday.

The marquee matchup once again will be down low.

Phoenix center Brittney Griner is averaging a WNBA-high 21.9 points and a league-best 2.5 blocked shots. New York forward Tina Charles is third in scoring at 20.3 and fourth in rebounding at 9.1 per game.

Charles is coming off a 29-point performance against Seattle, when she posted her seventh double-double of the season and became the franchise's career rebounding leader.

The eighth-year pro has career averages of 18.0 points and 10.1 rebounds. She led the league in scoring and rebounding last season.

"Tina Charles is Tina Charles," Liberty coach Bill Laimbeer said. "Former MVP. Perennial All-Star. Twenty and 10 every year, like clockwork. There is no better consistent player in the league than Tina Charles."

Griner has 45 points and 14 rebounds in two games against New York this season. Charles has 38 and 17.

Taurasi, the WNBA's career scoring leader, is averaging 18.0 points.

The Mercury has a deeper bench than in previous meetings against New York, having recently traded with San Antonio for wing Monique Currie and signing post player Angel Robinson. They have been with Phoenix for the last three games.

Currie scored 12 points off the bench in a 92-77 road victory over San Antonio on Friday. She also played with the Mercury during the 2015 season.

"We know what she is capable of," Phoenix coach Sandy Brondello said in the San Antonio Express-News. "It gives us another scorer off the bench and another spark."

Phoenix could use that against New York, which leads the WNBA by allowing opponents to shoot only 40.3 percent from the field. The Mercury shot 34.4 percent in the first meeting and 34.8 percent in the second game.

"We have been playing solid defense all along here," Laimbeer said. "Overall, our defense has been getting better every day and the shooting percentage of the other team is starting to go backward."

Phoenix will honor former Mercury player Penny Taylor throughout the game and retire her jersey afterward. Taylor and Taurasi are the only two to play on all three Mercury championship teams.

Taylor played 10 seasons in Phoenix and retired as the franchise's second-leading scorer behind Taurasi.

**StarDust Bum** · 07-09-2017, 03:35 AM

WNBA July Record:

Date.................... W-L-T................... % ...................Units Record

07/08/2017............4-2-0...............66.67%......................+9.00
07/07/2017............2-2-0...............50.00%.......................-0.20
07/06/2017............0-4-0.................0.00%.....................-22.00
07/05/2017........... 5-1-0 ...............83.33%................... +19.50
07/02/2017........... 2-2-0............... 50.00% ......................-0.20
07/01/2017........... 0-4-0................. 0.00%.................... -22.00

Totals:...................13 - 15..............46.42%.....................- 16.20

**StarDust Bum** · 07-09-2017, 11:47 AM

Armadillo: Sunday's six-pack

— 76ers’ rookie Markelle Fultz suffered a high ankle sprain Saturday night and is probably done for the summer.

— Celtics 86, Lakers 81— Laker Nation can rest easy; Lonzo Ball had a triple double.

— Raptors are trading DeMarre Carroll to Brooklyn for Justin Hamilton, a salary dump by Toronto.

— Dodgers 5, Royals 4 (10)— Los Angeles is 27-8 since June 1.

— Padres 2, Phillies 1— Philly is 28-58; 23 of their 58 losses are by one run.

— Pirates 4, Cubs 2— Chicago is 4.5 games out of first place, 6.5 games out of Wild Card.

**********

Armadillo: Sunday's List of 13: Random stuff for a summer day……

13) Gregg Popovich is 1,316-612 as an NBA head coach with five championships, but his first year as a head coach at any level was in 1979-80 at Pomona-Pitzer, a D-III school in California.

That team went 2-22. Long way from there to today.

12) Clippers-Lakers summer league game Friday night in UNLV’s arena had a huge crowd- looked liked the whole lower bowl was full, which would make it a crowd of around 8,000 people.

Lakers-Celtics game Saturday night was a complete sellout at Thomas & Mack Center. Adam Silver has to like that, but I bet NBA people are surprised at how popular summer league has become.

$30 a pop for the whole day is a good deal. Can watch four games in an air conditioned arena.

11) It isn’t good when your favorite college basketball team has two assistant coaches resign in July; thats whats happening at Western Kentucky. One of the assistant coaches is the godfather of their best recruit, Mitchell Robinson.

10) Twins manager Paul Molitor played his last big league game in 1998; Bartolo Colon pitched for the other team that day. Here, in 2017, Molitor will be managing Colon.

9) Biggest division lead at the All-Star break since 1910; 2001 Seattle Mariners led Oakland by 19 games. 1986 Mets led Montreal by 13.5 games.

This year’s Astros have a 16-game lead in the AL West.

8) Most career home runs without a grand slam:
190— Andrew McCutchen, Glenn Davis
176— Ron Kittle

7) Andy from New York points out that the Cubs are the only MLB team who have zero stolen bases from the leadoff position in the batting order.

6) Jim “Bones” Mackay, who caddied for Phil Mickelson for 25 years, is going to be an on-course golf commentator for NBC/Golf Channel. His first assignment is the British Open.

5) NBA doings:
— Indiana Pacers gave Brian Bogdanovic $21M for two years.
— Cavaliers gave Jeff Green $2.3M for one season.
— Celtics traded Avery Bradley to Detroit for Marcus Morris.
— Warriors gave Zaza Pachulia $3.5M for one year.
— Minnesota gives Jamal Crawford $8.9M for two years.

4) Tim Hardaway Jr is going to sign a $71M contract with the Knicks; Atlanta declined to match the offer sheet. Tim Hardaway Sr, made $46M in his whole career, and he was a much better player than his son. Go figure.

3) James Harden got a 4-year contract extension from the Rockets, supposedly worth $228M, which is $57M a year, and that is eye-popping.

2) Canadian team beat the Americans 99-87 in semi-finals of the U19 championship in Egypt. Canada will face Italy in the finals.

1) NBA Summer League story: I was at UNLV a few years ago, watching the summer league— you can bet on these games, but you have to be careful.

I’m sitting there and this really big guy, likely a bodybuilder, sits in front of me, drink in hand. He is explaining fairly loudly to the guy next to him how he is betting on the Timberwolves, who had won their game the day before by 20+ points. The bodybuilder was confident in a Minnesota win.

One small problem.

Some teams don’t play the same set of guys every game. Timberwolves had 18 guys on their roster; nine had played the day before in the big win, the other nine were playing this game.

Minnesota’s second group wasn’t very good- they got trounced. The big guy lost his money, wasn’t happy about it.

THIS IS SOME FUNNY SHIT !!

**StarDust Bum** · 07-09-2017, 11:48 AM

WNBA
Dunkel

Sunday, July 9

New York @ Phoenix

Game 623-624
July 9, 2017 @ 6:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
New York
107.988
Phoenix
115.745
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Phoenix
by 8
155
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Phoenix
by 5
159
Dunkel Pick:
Phoenix
(-5); Under

Dallas @ Atlanta

Game 621-622
July 9, 2017 @ 3:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Dallas
110.616
Atlanta
106.522
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Dallas
by 4
174
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Dallas
Pick
165
Dunkel Pick:
Dallas
Over

WNBA
Long Sheet

Sunday, July 9

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

DALLAS (9 - 9) at ATLANTA (7 - 8) - 7/9/2017, 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 DALLAS over the last 3 seasons
ATLANTA is 4-2 straight up against DALLAS over the last 3 seasons
6 of 6 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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

NEW YORK (8 - 7) at PHOENIX (9 - 6) - 7/9/2017, 6:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

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

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

WNBA

Sunday, July 9

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

3:00 PM
DALLAS vs. ATLANTA
Dallas is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Atlanta
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Dallas's last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Atlanta's last 7 games at home
Atlanta is 13-5 SU in its last 18 games at home

6:00 PM
NEW YORK vs. PHOENIX
The total has gone OVER in 5 of New York's last 6 games when playing Phoenix
New York is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Phoenix
Phoenix is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing New York
Phoenix is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games

**StarDust Bum** · 07-09-2017, 11:55 AM

Preview: Wings (9-9) at Dream (7-8)
Date: July 09, 2017 3:00 PM EDT

The Dallas Wings' backcourt duo of Skylar Diggins-Smith and Allisha Gray were too much for Atlanta on Wednesday. Diggins-Smith and Gray combined for 41 points in a 94-84 win over the Dream.

Atlanta (7-8) will be out for revenge Sunday when the Wings visit McCamish Pavilion for a rematch.

Dallas (9-9) is playing some of its best basketball of the season, having won four of five. Diggins-Smith is among the WNBA leaders in scoring, averaging 17.5 points per game.

Gray, Glory Johnson and Karima Christmas-Kelly also are averaging double figures, giving the Wings a balanced and high-powered attack. Dallas is fourth in the league in scoring, averaging 84.7 points.

The Dream also like to push the pace and have a hot point guard coming off a career performance. Veteran Layshia Clarendon dropped a career-high 27 points, 19 in the first half, in the Dream's 89-68 win over the Indiana Fever on Friday.

Atlanta coach Michael Cooper called out Clarendon after the Dream's loss to the Wings, imploring her to do more for her team.

"(Coach) Cooper was riding me before the game, so I think that helped me a little bit," Clarendon said after Friday's win. "He benched me in the Dallas game, because I started with two turnovers, so a little bit of credit to him for riding me. The team goes as I go, and that's a lot of pressure to carry, but it's a big honor too."

Clarendon also had a team-high eight rebounds and six assists in helping give the slumping Dream a needed victory at home. Atlanta had lost four of five before the win over the Fever.

"Layshia Clarendon is an extension of me on the court, and when we're not doing well she catches the brunt of that negative energy," Cooper said after Friday's game. "So I have to give her credit because she established the way we were going to play. Every time she does that, we have a good game.

"She doesn't have to score a lot, but she has to make sure we get into our offense, and I thought she did a great job of that tonight."

The Dream are expected to have forward Sancho Lyttle back in the lineup for Sunday's game. Lyttle, who just returned from international play, took an elbow to the nose against Dallas on Wednesday and missed the Indiana game. Lyttle has been upgraded to probable for Sunday's game.

WNB HEAD TO HEAD

Jul 5, 2017 Score ATS Results
ATL 84 Over: 178
DAL « 94 Cover: 5.5
Tools: Recaps

Jul 22, 2016 Score ATS Results
DAL 88 Over: 181
ATL « 93 Cover: 3
Tools: Recaps

Jul 8, 2016 Score ATS Results
DAL 90 Over: 185
ATL « 95 Cover: 2.5
Tools: Recaps

May 27, 2016 Score ATS Results
ATL « 102 Cover: 13.5
DAL 93 Over: 195
Tools: Recaps

**StarDust Bum** · 07-09-2017, 11:57 AM

Preview: Liberty (8-7) at Mercury (9-6)
Date: July 09, 2017 6:00 PM EDT

The New York Liberty will be going for a season sweep of the Phoenix Mercury on Sunday.

The Liberty won 69-67 in Phoenix on March 23, when star guard Diana Taurasi was sitting out for the Mercury because of a one-game suspension because of a flagrant foul.

New York had an easier time in an 88-72 home victory on June 4.

The teams' final meeting of the season will be in Phoenix.

The Mercury (9-6) have won two games in a row, while the Liberty (8-7) snapped a three-game losing streak with a 79-70 victory at the Seattle Storm on Thursday.

The marquee matchup once again will be down low.

Phoenix center Brittney Griner is averaging a WNBA-high 21.9 points and a league-best 2.5 blocked shots. New York forward Tina Charles is third in scoring at 20.3 and fourth in rebounding at 9.1 per game.

Charles is coming off a 29-point performance against Seattle, when she posted her seventh double-double of the season and became the franchise's career rebounding leader.

The eighth-year pro has career averages of 18.0 points and 10.1 rebounds. She led the league in scoring and rebounding last season.

"Tina Charles is Tina Charles," Liberty coach Bill Laimbeer said. "Former MVP. Perennial All-Star. Twenty and 10 every year, like clockwork. There is no better consistent player in the league than Tina Charles."

Griner has 45 points and 14 rebounds in two games against New York this season. Charles has 38 and 17.

Taurasi, the WNBA's career scoring leader, is averaging 18.0 points.

The Mercury has a deeper bench than in previous meetings against New York, having recently traded with San Antonio for wing Monique Currie and signing post player Angel Robinson. They have been with Phoenix for the last three games.

Currie scored 12 points off the bench in a 92-77 road victory over San Antonio on Friday. She also played with the Mercury during the 2015 season.

"We know what she is capable of," Phoenix coach Sandy Brondello said in the San Antonio Express-News. "It gives us another scorer off the bench and another spark."

Phoenix could use that against New York, which leads the WNBA by allowing opponents to shoot only 40.3 percent from the field. The Mercury shot 34.4 percent in the first meeting and 34.8 percent in the second game.

"We have been playing solid defense all along here," Laimbeer said. "Overall, our defense has been getting better every day and the shooting percentage of the other team is starting to go backward."

Phoenix will honor former Mercury player Penny Taylor throughout the game and retire her jersey afterward. Taylor and Taurasi are the only two to play on all three Mercury championship teams.

Taylor played 10 seasons in Phoenix and retired as the franchise's second-leading scorer behind Taurasi.

WNB HEAD TO HEAD

Jun 4, 2017 Score ATS Results
PHO 72 Over: 160
NEW « 88 Cover: 20.5
Tools: Recaps

May 23, 2017 Score ATS Results
NEW « 69 Cover: 1
PHO 67 Under: 136
Tools: Recaps

Sep 24, 2016 Score ATS Results
PHO « 101 Cover: 4.5
NEW 94 Over: 195
Tools: Recaps

Sep 3, 2016 Score ATS Results
PHO 70 Over: 162
NEW « 92 Cover: 19
Tools: Recaps

Jul 1, 2016 Score ATS Results
NEW « 99 Cover: 14.5
PHO 88 Over: 187
Tools: Recaps

Jun 26, 2016 Score ATS Results
PHO « 104 Cover: 9.5
NEW 97 Over: 201
Tools: Recaps

**StarDust Bum** · 07-09-2017, 11:59 AM

SUNDAY, JULY 9

GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

DAL at ATL 03:00 PM

DAL +2.0

O 167.0

NY at PHO 06:00 PM

NY +4.5

O 160.0

**StarDust Bum** · 07-10-2017, 01:58 AM

WNBA Capsules
July 9, 2017

PHOENIX (AP) Brittney Griner had 31 points, 12 rebounds and six blocked shots to help the Phoenix Mercury beat the New York Liberty 81-69 on Sunday.

Diana Taurasi added 19 points, hitting five 3-pointers for the Mercury (10-6), who have won three straight.

Sugar Rodgers hit a 3-pointer and then a jumper to give New York (8-8) a 5-4 lead one minute in, but Griner answered with a basket that gave Phoenix the lead for good 12 seconds later. She scored six points during a 12-4 run that made it 34-23 early in the second quarter and the Liberty trailed by at least eight points the rest of the way.

Tina Charles had 29 points for New York and Rodgers added 14 points. Charles made 11 of 21 shots from the field but the rest of the Liberty players hit just 17 of 58 (29.3 percent).

It was the last of a four-game, 12-day road trip for the Liberty, who have lost four of five overall.

DREAM 98, WINGS 78

ATLANTA (AP) - Brittney Sykes scored 12 points of her 18 points in the decisive third quarter and the Dream beat the Wings.

Sykes was one short of her career-high and the rookie had eight rebounds. Tiffany Hayes led the team with 19 points, Layshia Clarendon had 16 and eight assists and Elizabeth Williams had 13 points, four steals and five blocks.

Atlanta (8-8) scored the first nine points of the second half to open a 62-51 lead when Sykes hit her first 3. Sykes hit 3-pointers to ignite and cap an 11-0 run that gave Atlanta a 75-56 advantage with 1:58 left in the third quarter and the Wings trailed by at least 12 the rest of the way.

Skylar Diggins-Smith had 22 points, Allisha Gray scored 15 and Glory Johnson added 10 points and 13 rebounds for Dallas (9-10).

**StarDust Bum** · 07-10-2017, 02:02 AM

SCHEDULE FOR WEDNESDAY JULY 12, 2017
Time (ET) Away Home Site
12:00 PM San Antonio Stars Indiana Fever Bankers Life Fieldhouse
12:30 PM Dallas Wings Chicago Sky Allstate Arena
3:00 PM Connecticut Sun Seattle Storm KeyArena
10:00 PM Atlanta Dream Phoenix Mercury Talking Stick Resort Arena

SCHEDULE FOR THURSDAY JULY 13, 2017
Time (ET) Away Home Site
10:30 PM Connecticut Sun Los Angeles Sparks Staples Center

SCHEDULE FOR FRIDAY JULY 14, 2017
Time (ET) Away Home Site
7:00 PM Washington Mystics Indiana Fever Bankers Life Fieldhouse
7:30 PM Chicago Sky New York Liberty Madison Square Garden
10:00 PM Minnesota Lynx Phoenix Mercury Talking Stick Resort Arena

SCHEDULE FOR SATURDAY JULY 15, 2017
Time (ET) Away Home Site
9:00 PM Atlanta Dream Seattle Storm KeyArena

SCHEDULE FOR SUNDAY JULY 16, 2017
Time (ET) Away Home Site
3:00 PM San Antonio Stars Connecticut Sun Mohegan Sun Arena
3:00 PM Washington Mystics New York Liberty Madison Square Garden
4:30 PM Chicago Sky Dallas Wings College Park Center
7:00 PM Phoenix Mercury Minnesota Lynx Target Center

Updated Mon Jul 10 12:04 AM EDT

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

LEAGUE STANDINGS

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

#1 Minnesota Lynx13 2 0.867 - 7-0 6-1 7-1 8-2 L 1

#2 Los Angeles Sparks12 5 0.706 2 5-3 7-0 5-5 8-2 L 2

#3 Phoenix Mercury10 6 0.625 3.5 4-4 5-4 5-2 6-4 W 3

#4 Connecticut Sun10 7 0.588 4 6-3 4-3 6-4 8-2 W 4

#5 Washington Mystics10 8 0.556 4.5 7-1 7-2 3-6 4-6 L 3

#6 Atlanta Dream8 8 0.500 5.5 4-6 5-3 3-5 4-6 W 2

#7 New York Liberty8 8 0.500 5.5 1-4 5-3 3-5 5-5 L 1

#8 Dallas Wings9 10 0.474 6 5-5 5-5 4-5 5-5 L 1

#9 Seattle Storm8 9 0.471 6 4-3 6-4 2-5 3-7 W 1

#10 Indiana Fever7 9 0.438 6.5 4-3 5-3 2-6 5-5 L 2

#11 Chicago Sky4 12 0.250 9.5 2-7 1-7 3-5 3-7 W 1

#12 San Antonio Stars1 16 0.059 13 0-10 1-8 0-8 1-9 L 2

**StarDust Bum** · 07-10-2017, 02:07 AM

WNBA July Record:

Date.................... W-L-T................... % ...................Units Record

07/09/2017............1-3-0...............25.00%.....................-11.50
07/08/2017............4-2-0...............66.67%......................+9.00
07/07/2017............2-2-0...............50.00%.......................-0.20
07/06/2017............0-4-0.................0.00%.....................-22.00
07/05/2017........... 5-1-0 ...............83.33%................... +19.50
07/02/2017........... 2-2-0............... 50.00% ......................-0.20
07/01/2017........... 0-4-0................. 0.00%.................... -22.00

Totals:...................14 - 18..............43.75%.....................- 27.70

**StarDust Bum** · 07-11-2017, 02:38 PM

Armadillo:Tuesday's six-pack

Odds to win next week’s British Open:

10-1— Dustin Johnson

12-1— Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth, Jon Rahm

15-1— Sergio Garcia, Ricky Fowler

20-1— Day, Matsuyama, Fleetwood, Rose

25-1— Henrik Stenson

30-1— Adam Scott

**********

Armadillo: Tuesday's Den: Looking at NL teams at the All-Star break……….

61-29 Dodgers— Are 39-11 at home, 13-0 in Kershaw’s last 13 starts. Wood is 10-0, 1.67 with a WHIP of 0.89. #5 hitters are batting .204 against them, #6 hitters .206.

53-36 Arizona— Stumbled into All-Star break on 3-7 skid; they’re 33-15 at home, with a home OPS of .840- their road OPS is .689. Goldschmidt has 20 HR’s, 67 RBI, an OB% of .428.

52-36 Washington— Bullpen has been awful, but they’ve got a 9.5-game lead in a bad division- they figure to add to their bullpen before July 31. Hitting .293 at home, .261 on road. Murphy is hitting .342, Zimmerman .330, Harper .325.

52-39 Colorado— Four rookies in the starting rotation is a red flag heading into second half of season. Rockies are 5-13 in their last 18 games. SS Story has an OPS of only .699, after his .908 in his rookie year LY.

50-41 Milwaukee— Have stunning 5.5-game lead in NL Central; their best pitcher Anderson is out for another month (oblique). Brewers have been in playoffs twice in last 35 years (’08, ’11). Thames has 23 HR’s after spending last three years playing in Korea.

43-45 Chicago— Weird that only five NL teams are over .500. Defending World Champs have struggled all year; Lester’s ERA is 4.25, Arrieta’s 4.35. LF’s are hitting combined .217; leadoff hitters have a combined OB% of .323.

43-45 St Louis— 18-7 vs NL East, 25-38 elsewhere. #3 hitters are batting a combined .221 with an OPS of .712. Wainwright has slipped; his ERA is 5.20, WHIP 1.49. SS Diaz hit .300 LY; he is in AAA now, after hitting only .260 this year.

42-45 Atlanta— Surprisingly good record for this group; they’re 20-16 since June 1. Signing Matt Adams got them thru Freeman’s injury; now Freeman plays 3B so Adams can stay in lineup. Have 13 HR, 51 RBI out of catching combo; solid production.

42-47 Pittsburgh— Get Marte back from 80-game suspension next week. Leadoff hitters have only a .305 OB%. McCutchen has surged since they moved him to #6 in order, now he is back in 3-hole- he is hitting .294 with 50 RBI for season.

41-46 Miami— Sadly, a fire sale is coming after All-Star break; their payroll is unwieldy for team that is about to be sold. Have formidable lineup; they hit .283 on road, .251 at home. Injury to lefty starter Chen has hurt the pitching rotation.

39-47 New York— How does their trainer still have a job? Mets are racked by injuries every year. Have OPS of .699 at home, .826 on road. #2 hitters are batting .219, #9 hitters .218, which isn’t good for an NL team. Harvey has a 5.25 ERA, Syndergaard has thrown only 27.1 innings.

39-49 Cincinnati— Have 63 homers on road, 62 at home, despite small home park. Pitchers have 4.67 ERA at home, 5.45 on road. Billy Hamilton may be fast, but a .293 OB% at leadoff ain’t good enough.

38-50 San Diego— Have three Rule 5 (minor league) players on roster this year; hard to win that way. Padre 3B’s are hitting .196, catchers .210; need more production. Young starter Lamet has 55 strikeouts in 41 IP, looks like a future star.

34-56 San Francisco— When your team gets old, the bottom falls out quickly. Pitchers have 5.49 ERA on road; top 4 spots in opposing batting order all bat .300+ with .370+ OB% vs Giants. Posey is hitting .324 with .406 OB%; will they move him to 1B to preserve rest of his career?

29-58 Phillies— 23 of 58 losses are by one run; they’ve started to bring prospects up. Could be good fairly soon, but need another starting pitcher or two. Nola-Hellickson-Pivetta look like a good start for a solid rotation. Their AAA team is winning a ton of games; there is talent there.

**StarDust Bum** · 07-11-2017, 02:39 PM

Betting Recap - 7/3-7/9
July 11, 2017

League Betting Notes (Monday, July 3 through Sunday, July 9)

-- Favorites went 8-4 straight up (SU)

-- Favorites went 8-4 against the spread (ATS)

-- Home teams posted a 9-3 SU record

-- Home teams posted a 9-3 ATS record

-- The 'over/under' went 6-6

Team Betting Notes

-- Atlanta (8-8) clawed back to .500 by going 2-1 SU/ATS in the past week. The Dream have also pieced together a 3-0 SU/ATS mark at home over their past three outings.

-- Chicago (4-12) slapped the brakes on a three-game losing streak in a shocking way on Thursday, stunning Minnesota (13-2) by a 100-76 score as a 14-point underdog. The win for the Sky also ended an 0-3 ATS skid.

-- Connecticut (10-7) has rolled up four consecutive victories while going 4-0 ATS, winning by an average of 12.5 points per game during the span. The Sun improved to 11-2 ATS over the past 13 outings, and 13-4 ATS overall on the season. Total bettors are also fond of the Sun, as the 'over' has hit in three of the past four, and 9-2 over the past 11 outings.

-- Dallas (9-10) split a home-and-home with the Dream, winning by 10 at home on July 5 and losing in the ATL by 20 points on July 9. The 'over' cashed in each of the outings.

-- Indiana (7-9) lost their only appearance in the past week, as the pesky Dream dealth them a 21-point loss down south. The Fever have looked sick lately, winning just once over the past four outings while also going 1-3 ATS during the span. The 'under' has been a dependable play for Indiana, going 5-2 over the past seven contests.

--Los Angeles (12-5) lost back-to-back games in the past week, a rarity for the Sparks. While L.A. has been impressive at home, going 7-0 SU/4-3 ATS, the Sparks have stumbled to a 5-5 SU/ATS record away from home. The good news is they'll be home for their only game this week against the Sun. They beat Connecticut 87-79 while covering a 2 1/2-point number in New England on June 27.

-- The Lynx have covered three in a row or better just once this season from June 3-11. The 'over' has been rather consistent, however, going 5-1 for Minnesota across the past six outings.

-- Phoenix (10-6) has pieced together a season-best three-game winning streak, covering each of the outings, too. They'll look to keep it going against the Dream at home Wednesday before a home-and-home with the Lynx on Friday and Sunday. The Merc were dumped at home, 91-83, in Phoenix on June 30. The 'over' has connected in four of the past five for Brittney Griner and company.

-- Washington (10-8) will look to salvage their road trip in Indianapolis on Friday night. The Mystics opened their road trip 0-3 SU/ATS, and they're just 3-6 SU/ATS in nine games away from the nation's capital this season.

**StarDust Bum** · 07-12-2017, 04:42 PM

Armadillo:Wednesday's six-pack

— Monday nite, they had 10,000 fans in Sacramento’s arena for a watch party for the Kings-Lakers summer league game in Las Vegas.

— Miami traded Josh McRoberts for AJ Hammons, and threw in $5.1M to persuade Dallas to do the deal, which is more than the difference in the two players’ salaries.

— Former major league pitcher Livan Hernandez earned at least $53M in his 17-year major league playing career; he declared for bankruptcy last week. Oy.

— I am told betting line moved from Lakers -1.5 to +6 once Lonzo Ball was declared out for Monday night’s Lakers-Suns summer league game. Lakers won by 3.

— Why would I go to Burger King and buy hot dogs? Why?

— Portland Trailblazers’ Pat Connaughton might play baseball instead of hoop; his agent is Jeff Samardzija’s brother. Samardzija was also a two-sport star.

**********

Armadillo: Wednesday's List of 13: Mid-week musings…….

13) Giancarlo Stanton is my favorite active baseball player; he’s been on my fantasy team since he was an 18-year old in the Florida State League. But very little makes me happier than seeing him lose in Home Run Derby— the thought of him hurting his wrist or pulling an intercostal or oblique during this stupid exhibition makes me queasy. I don’t like to be queasy.

12) Was nice of FXM to show Moneyball opposite the Home Run Derby, so I could watch that fine film one more time. Too bad the A’s always lose at the end of the movie.

11) This from Bobby Marks on Twitter: “Tim Hardaway Jr. was traded for Jerian Grant who was traded for Derrick Rose who was renounced so NYK could sign Hardaway Jr. for $71M.”

How did people this incompetent get wealthy enough to own/run an NBA franchise?

10) Hector Cruz brought his cellphone to the plate in the top of the 6th inning of the All-Star Game and had Yadier Molina take a pic of him and ump Joe West at the plate. Cruz then hit with the phone in his back pocket. He flew out to center— good thing he didn’t have to slide.

9) New Jersey governor Chris Christie is done as governor in December (term limits); he tried out as a talk radio host on WFAN Monday. Reviews were mixed.

Christie is incredibly unpopular in New Jersey, but he is a good talker and he knows his sports. Controversy sells these days; someone will give him a talk radio gig.

8) San Jose State basketball coach Dave Wojcik unexpectedly resigned Tuesday; Spartans were 14-16 LY, an improvement over Wojcik’s first three seasons in San Jose. Personal issues were the reason given; hopefully his health is OK.

Coach Wojcik’s son Jake is a senior-to-be at Bellarmine Prep in California. He is committed to Siena for his college, but it is unknown if this move effects Jake’s commitment to the Saints.

7) One of my favorite new phrases: when someone is “getting salty” about something. When I watch HBO’s Hard Knocks from last summer, I get salty because the Rams just didn’t care about offense as much as an NFL team should. Offense is important.

6) Mike Trout will be back in the Angels’ lineup Friday night, good news for the 45-47 Halos, who are only three games out of the AL Wild Card spots.

5) Notre Dame hasn’t finished a football season with a positive turnover ratio since 2012; the last three years, they’ve been -4/-6/-3 in turnovers. Hard to win that way.

4) Jon Lester allowed 10 runs in two-thirds on an inning Sunday; he threw 53 pitches and did not finish the first inning. Francisco Cervelli became the 4th player in the last 100 years to hit a first inning grand slam while batting #2 in the lineup (think about it).

3) You don’t think sports are big business? The D-League is now the G-League. Why?

Because Gatorade now sponsors the league, therefore the G.

2) NBA Summer League is not only a tryout for players trying to make the bigtime, it is for referees, too. Guys from all over the world are in Las Vegas this week, including three officials from China. Before and after games, players/refs go thru film sessions and/or workouts, trying to get better at their craft, whether it be playing or being a ref.

1) Its funny; RC Buford is the GM of the San Antonio Spurs, one of the most successful teams in NBA history, but they showed him on ESPN just now and I had no idea who he was. Know the name, obviously, but not the face. This is a guy who does a great job and keeps out of the spotlight. We need more people like that.

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