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

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo: Thursday's six-pack

Odds to win the college football national title this year……

— Washington Huskies, bet down from 30-1 to 20-1

— USC Trojans, bet down from 8-1 to 7-1

— Georgia Bulldogs, bet down from 30-1 to 25-1

— Notre Dame, bet down from 60-1 to 40-1

— Wisconsin Badgers, bet down from 40-1 to 20-1

— Ohio State Buckeyes, bet down from 8-1 to 3-1


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Armadillo: Thursday's List of 13: Random stuff from the Buckeye State

13) Greetings from Canton, Ohio; made the trip from Las Vegas Wednesday for the Hall of Fame ceremonies this weekend. Long trip; flying from Vegas to Phoenix to Cleveland, with ton of Arizona Cardinal fans on the flight to Ohio to see their Redbirds play Dallas tonight.

12) I made my hotel reservations for this weekend on February 4, the night before the Super Bowl, but some genius at motels.com deleted my reservation the next day, unbeknownst to me. Captain Obvious would tell you that this is bad for both business and my blood pressure.

Luckily, the two desk clerks here found an available room and saved me from looking like a dimwit had I driven a rental car 8 hours home from here with nowhere to stay.

11) Assistant basketball coaches from Baylor/Louisville are in Estonia now recruiting Balsa Koprivica, a Class of 2019 big man. That can’t be a lot of fun to make a trip that long.

10) Atlanta Braves went 24-20 while Freddie Freeman was on the DL; they’re 9-16 since he came back, primarily because they’re playing much better teams now.

9) Braves’ 2B Ozzie Albies is the first major leaguer born in 1997 or later.

8) Dodgers are paying Carl Crawford $21,857,142 not to play this season; his last major league game was last season, when he played 30 games for LA.

7) Nevada sports books won $14.9M in baseball action in June, their best month ever in baseball.

6) When the Mountain West had its football media day in Las Vegas recently, Hawai’i football coach Nick Rolovich hired an Elvis impersonator to follow him around for two hours, at $350 an hour. Thank you, thank you very much.

5) Indiana Hoosiers haven’t had a linebacker drafted by the NFL since 1988 (Van Waiters); considering they play in the Big 14, thats hard to believe. Recruit some defensive players!!!

4) Cleveland’s Austin Jackson made a fantastic catch Tuesday night at Fenway Park, catching the ball over the bullpen fence in right-center field. Best catch this year, no doubt.

3) Colorado Rockies’ closer Greg Holland cut his hand in a kitchen accident and is day-to-day.

2) Dave Bliss has been hired as the boys basketball coach/athletic director at Calvary Chapel, a Christian school in Las Vegas. Why is this newsworthy?

Bliss was a very good college coach, at New Mexico/Baylor/Oklahoma/SMU; in 2005, he was hit with a 10-year show-cause penalty by the NCAA, after its investigation into the death of one of Baylor’s players, which Bliss tried to cover up.

If your son played ball at this school, would you want Coach Bliss coaching your son?

1) Braves 5, Dodgers 3— LA’s 56-game winning streak when they had a lead comes to an end; it is a major league record, with 32 games the next highest such streak.

[StarDust Bum]

WNBA
Long Sheet

Thursday, August 3

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ATLANTA (10 - 13) at MINNESOTA (19 - 2) - 8/3/2017, 8:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
MINNESOTA is 23-13 ATS (+8.7 Units) after allowing 75 points or more over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
MINNESOTA is 5-1 against the spread versus ATLANTA over the last 3 seasons
MINNESOTA is 6-0 straight up against ATLANTA over the last 3 seasons
5 of 6 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons




WNBA

Thursday, August 3

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Trend Report
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8:00 PM
ATLANTA vs. MINNESOTA
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Atlanta's last 8 games
Atlanta is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Minnesota
Minnesota is 3-9 ATS in its last 12 games at home
Minnesota is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home


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WNBA
Dunkel

Thursday, August 3


Atlanta @ Minnesota

Game 653-654
August 3, 2017 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Atlanta
108.168
Minnesota
124.674
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Minnesota
by 16 1/2
172
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Minnesota
by 14
167
Dunkel Pick:
Minnesota
(-14); Over

[StarDust Bum]

THURSDAY, AUGUST 3

GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

ATL at MIN 08:00 PM

ATL +12.5

O 165.0

[StarDust Bum]

Lynx shut down Dream in 4th for win
August 3, 2017

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) Sylvia Fowles scored 25 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, and Minnesota used a 23-2 fourth quarter to cruise past the Atlanta Dream 69-54 on Thursday night.

Minnesota (20-2) is the first team in league history with 20-plus wins in seven straight seasons.

The Lynx scored the first 14 points of the fourth quarter for a 60-52 lead and Brittney Sykes finally ended Atlanta's drought with two free throws at the 3:38 mark.

Maya Moore added 15 points for Minnesota but she was just 4 of 14 from the field. Lindsay Whalen left in the third quarter with a hand injury.

Minnesota was just 1 of 12 from 3-point range in the first half but still led 35-30 behind Moore's 12 points.

Layshia Clarendon led Atlanta (10-14) with 18 points. The Dream closed the third quarter on a 7-0 run for a 52-46 lead as Minnesota was held to 11 points.

[StarDust Bum]

SCHEDULE FOR FRIDAY AUGUST 4, 2017
Time (ET) Away Home Site
7:00 PM Chicago Sky Indiana Fever Bankers Life Fieldhouse
7:00 PM Phoenix Mercury Connecticut Sun Mohegan Sun Arena
8:00 PM Seattle Storm Dallas Wings College Park Center
8:00 PM Washington Mystics San Antonio Stars AT&T Center
10:30 PM New York Liberty Los Angeles Sparks Staples Center

SCHEDULE FOR SATURDAY AUGUST 5, 2017
Time (ET) Away Home Site
8:00 PM Atlanta Dream Chicago Sky Allstate Arena
8:00 PM Seattle Storm San Antonio Stars AT&T Center

SCHEDULE FOR SUNDAY AUGUST 6, 2017
Time (ET) Away Home Site
3:00 PM Phoenix Mercury Washington Mystics Verizon Center
4:30 PM Los Angeles Sparks Dallas Wings College Park Center
6:00 PM Minnesota Lynx Indiana Fever Bankers Life Fieldhouse

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LEAGUE STANDINGS

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

#1 Minnesota Lynx - x20 2 0.909 - 11-0 11-1 9-1 9-1 W 7

#2 Los Angeles Sparks17 6 0.739 3.5 8-3 11-1 6-5 7-3 W 3

#3 Connecticut Sun14 9 0.609 6.5 8-4 7-3 7-6 8-2 W 2

#4 Washington Mystics14 9 0.609 6.5 10-2 8-2 6-7 6-4 W 3

#5 Phoenix Mercury13 10 0.565 7.5 5-6 7-6 6-4 6-4 W 2

#6 New York Liberty12 11 0.522 8.5 5-5 7-4 5-7 5-5 L 1

#7 Dallas Wings11 14 0.440 10.5 5-8 7-5 4-9 4-6 L 2

#8 Seattle Storm10 13 0.435 10.5 5-5 8-6 2-7 4-6 L 1

#9 Atlanta Dream10 14 0.417 11 4-8 7-5 3-9 4-6 L 3

#10 Indiana Fever8 16 0.333 13 4-6 5-6 3-10 1-9 L 4

#11 Chicago Sky8 16 0.333 13 3-9 2-9 6-7 5-5 L 3

#12 San Antonio Stars4 21 0.160 17.5 0-12 3-10 1-11 3-7 W 1

[StarDust Bum]

WNBA August Record: Best Bets

DATE W-L-T % UNITS

08/03/2017..............0-2-0................0.00%..................-11.00


Totals.......................0-2-0................0.00%..................-11.00


ATS............................................... ..............OU

08/03/2017..............0 - 1..............................0 - 1..........-11.00


Totals.......................0-2-0.............................................-11.00

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo: Friday's six-pack

— Paul Goldschmidt hit three HR’s Thursday in a 10-8 Arizona win that had three rain delays.

— Colorado 5, Mets 4— Nolan Arenado had the walk-off walk for the Rockies.

— Cardinals’ WR Larry Fitzgerald has visited 97 countries. Not sure if I can name 97 countries.

— NFL footballs are made in Ada, Ohio.

— There is a Chick-fil-A within walking distance of my hotel; at 2pm Thursday, the line at the drive-thru window was wrapped around the building. We need a Chick-fil-A in Albany.

— Rumors are that John Harbaugh/Ozzie Newsome want to sign Colin Kaepernick, but the owner is hesitant about signing him.


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

13) Pretty cool that Lorenzo Neal will be the presenter for LaDanian Tomlinson at the Hall of Fame induction ceremony Saturday night. Neal was the fullback for the Chargers who cleared holes for Tomlinson for most of his career; now he is leading his way into the Hall of Fame.

12) Denmark’s flag is flying over Tom Benson Stadium here; Morten Andersen lived in Denmark for a few years until moving here as a kid.

11) Jets’ owner Woody Johnson was named the US ambassador to the United Kingdom.

10) Dallas Cowboys’ backup QB Kellen Moore is the only lefty QB on any NFL roster. He was 50-3 as a starter at Boise State.

9) Blaine Gabbert is competing with Drew Stanton for the backup QB job in Arizona; he is in his 7th NFL season, playing for his third team, 8th head coach, 7th offensive coordinator. He played really well last night against Dallas.

8) In 1989, Jerry Jones bought the Cowboys for $150M; now Forbes Magazine says they’re worth $4.2B. If there was a Money Hall of Fame, Mr Jones would be in there, too.

7) Four oldest active players in the NFL are all punters/kickers; Tom Brady is the 5th-oldest active player— he turned 40 on Thursday.

6) Tony Romo/Jim Nantz were in Canton last night, doing a practice broadcast as Romo crams for his first season as a TV analyst. Will be interesting to hear what he has to say next month.

5) Nick Saban has won five national titles at Alabama, with four different play callers. He has to be tough to work for; that, and he wins a lot, so his assistants move on to better jobs.

4) Miami QB Ryan Tannehill had a non-contact knee injury Thursday; Dolphins fear he will need season-ending knee surgery, however no decision on the operation has been made yet.

There will be second and third opinions; Tannehill still could decide to rest it for six to eight weeks and try to come back without season-ending surgery. There are rumors that Jay Cutler may delay retirement to come back and he the Dolphins’ starting QB.

3) Weird summer in the NFL; Luck-Newton-Flacco-Tannehill are all hurt. Hard to have a great training camp if your quarterback isn’t practicing.

2) Steph Curry shot 74 (+4) on the web.com tour Thursday. Impressive, competing against pros. His caddy is Jonnie West, son of Jerry West, who played college ball at West Virginia a few years ago.

1) Rico Gathers caught a TD pass for Dallas last night; he was a basketball player at Baylor and a good one— he didn’t play football from his 8th grade season until last year, but he has a shot to make the Cowboys’ squad now. Interesting story, like Antonio Gates with the Chargers.

[StarDust Bum]

WNBA
Dunkel

Friday, August 4


New York @ Los Angeles

Game 663-664
August 4, 2017 @ 10:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
New York
109.177
Los Angeles
119.288
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Los Angeles
by 10
153
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Los Angeles
by 8
159 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Los Angeles
(-8); Under

Washington @ San Antonio

Game 661-662
August 4, 2017 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Washington
111.352
San Antonio
109.139
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Washington
by 2
159
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Washington
by 4 1/2
154
Dunkel Pick:
San Antonio
(+4 1/2); Over

Seattle @ Dallas

Game 659-660
August 4, 2017 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Seattle
104.531
Dallas
111.085
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Dallas
by 6 1/2
180
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Seattle
by 1 1/2
174
Dunkel Pick:
Dallas
(+1 1/2); Over

Chicago @ Indiana

Game 657-658
August 4, 2017 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Chicago
107.284
Indiana
105.479
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Chicago
by 2
158
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Chicago
N/A
No Line
Dunkel Pick:
Chicago
N/A

Phoenix @ Connecticut

Game 655-656
August 4, 2017 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Phoenix
108.300
Connecticut
118.904
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Connecticut
by 10 1/2
172
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Connecticut
by 8 1/2
166 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Connecticut
(-8 1/2); Over




WNBA
Long Sheet

Friday, August 4

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PHOENIX (13 - 10) at CONNECTICUT (14 - 9) - 8/4/2017, 7:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
PHOENIX is 21-39 ATS (-21.9 Units) as a road underdog of 6.5 to 9 points since 1997.
CONNECTICUT is 16-7 ATS (+8.3 Units) in all games this season.
CONNECTICUT is 8-0 ATS (+8.0 Units) when playing with 3 or more days rest this season.
CONNECTICUT is 20-9 ATS (+10.1 Units) against Western conference opponents over the last 2 seasons.
CONNECTICUT is 10-1 ATS (+8.9 Units) after a division game this season.
CONNECTICUT is 20-9 ATS (+10.1 Units) in non-conference games over the last 2 seasons.
CONNECTICUT is 9-2 ATS (+6.8 Units) after a win by 10 points or more over the last 2 seasons.
CONNECTICUT is 14-6 ATS (+7.4 Units) after scoring 75 points or more this season.
CONNECTICUT is 16-7 ATS (+8.3 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
CONNECTICUT is 12-5 ATS (+6.5 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 77+ points/game this season.
CONNECTICUT is 17-8 ATS (+8.2 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 77+ points/game after 15+ games over the last 2 seasons.
CONNECTICUT is 28-12 ATS (+14.8 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 77+ points/game over the last 2 seasons.

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

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CHICAGO (8 - 16) at INDIANA (8 - 16) - 8/4/2017, 7:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
INDIANA is 5-5 against the spread versus CHICAGO over the last 3 seasons
INDIANA is 6-6 straight up against CHICAGO over the last 3 seasons
8 of 12 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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SEATTLE (10 - 13) at DALLAS (11 - 14) - 8/4/2017, 8:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
SEATTLE is 16-33 ATS (-20.3 Units) in road games when playing with 3 or more days rest since 1997.
SEATTLE is 74-102 ATS (-38.2 Units) in road games after a division game since 1997.
SEATTLE is 11-3 ATS (+7.7 Units) on Friday over the last 2 seasons.
SEATTLE is 9-2 ATS (+6.8 Units) after a loss by 10 points or more over the last 2 seasons.
DALLAS is 23-36 ATS (-16.6 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
DALLAS is 19-34 ATS (-18.4 Units) after allowing 75 points or more over the last 2 seasons.
DALLAS is 12-22 ATS (-12.2 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 2 seasons.
DALLAS is 4-13 ATS (-10.3 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record after 15+ games after 15+ games over the last 2 seasons.
DALLAS is 5-17 ATS (-13.7 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 77+ points/game after 15+ games over the last 2 seasons.
DALLAS is 16-27 ATS (-13.7 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 77+ points/game over the last 2 seasons.
DALLAS is 5-18 ATS (-14.8 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 77+ points/game after 15+ games over the last 2 seasons.
DALLAS is 15-27 ATS (-14.7 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 77+ points/game over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
SEATTLE is 5-4 against the spread versus DALLAS over the last 3 seasons
DALLAS is 5-4 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

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WASHINGTON (14 - 9) at SAN ANTONIO (4 - 21) - 8/4/2017, 8:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
WASHINGTON is 306-361 ATS (-91.1 Units) in all games since 1997.
WASHINGTON is 179-225 ATS (-68.5 Units) after a division game since 1997.
SAN ANTONIO is 26-16 ATS (+8.4 Units) after allowing 75 points or more over the last 2 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 11-3 ATS (+7.7 Units) as a favorite this season.
SAN ANTONIO is 14-34 ATS (-23.4 Units) in home games off an upset win as an underdog since 1997.
SAN ANTONIO is 42-69 ATS (-33.9 Units) in home games after scoring 75 points or more since 1997.

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

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NEW YORK (12 - 11) at LOS ANGELES (17 - 6) - 8/4/2017, 10:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
NEW YORK is 0-6 ATS (-6.6 Units) after playing 3 consecutive road games over the last 2 seasons.
NEW YORK is 82-57 ATS (+19.3 Units) in road games against Western conference opponents since 1997.
NEW YORK is 82-57 ATS (+19.3 Units) in road games in non-conference games since 1997.
NEW YORK is 103-68 ATS (+28.2 Units) after a loss by 10 points or more since 1997.
LOS ANGELES is 63-92 ATS (-38.2 Units) in a home game where where the total is greater than or equal to 150 since 1997.
LOS ANGELES is 174-222 ATS (-70.2 Units) after scoring 75 points or more since 1997.
LOS ANGELES is 88-120 ATS (-44.0 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 77+ points/game since 1997.

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

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WNBA

Friday, August 4

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Trend Report
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7:00 PM
PHOENIX vs. CONNECTICUT
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Phoenix's last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Phoenix's last 5 games when playing Connecticut
The total has gone OVER in 10 of Connecticut's last 14 games when playing Phoenix
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Connecticut's last 5 games when playing Phoenix

7:00 PM
CHICAGO vs. INDIANA
Chicago is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing Indiana
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Chicago's last 6 games when playing Indiana
Indiana is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Chicago
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Indiana's last 6 games at home

8:00 PM
SEATTLE vs. DALLAS
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Seattle's last 5 games
Seattle is 5-11 SU in its last 16 games
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Dallas's last 8 games
Dallas is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games at home

8:00 PM
WASHINGTON vs. SAN ANTONIO
Washington is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing San Antonio
Washington4-1-1 SU in its last 6 games
San Antonio is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games
San Antonio is 1-8 ATS in its last 9 games when playing at home against Washington

10:30 PM
NEW YORK vs. LOS ANGELES
New York is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing Los Angeles
New York is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Los Angeles
Los Angeles is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing New York
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Los Angeles's last 13 games when playing New York


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[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Mercury (13-10) at Sun (14-9)
Date: August 04, 2017 7:00 PM EDT

Connecticut fans haven't seen Diana Taurasi since the former UConn star became the WNBA's all-time leading scorer.

That changes Friday night when Taurasi and her Phoenix Mercury visit the Mohegan Sun Arena for the first of three games against the Connecticut Sun on Friday night.

They will do it, however, without league scoring leader Brittney Griner, who continues to be out with a left knee bruise.

It's been some six weeks since Taurasi, in her 13th season in the league, broke Tina Thompson's all-time scoring record, needing four fewer seasons than Thompson to set the record.

She surpassed Thompson with Kobe Bryant among those on hand for the special night in Los Angeles, saying, "Once I got the basket it was pretty cool. I was trying not to think about, wanted it to happen and do it organically. It did. You think about all the great players you played with, all the games."

She comes into Friday night's game averaging 18.7 points per game, as the second half of a 1-2 scoring punch with Griner, who leads the league in scoring at 22.3 points per game and is seventh in rebounding at 8.3.

Taurasi had a team-high 13 points as the Mercury (13-10) won their second straight after a four-game losing streak, which had followed a four-game winning run, Sunday over the San Antonio Stars. They did it without Griner.

The Mercury, in fifth place in the overall WNBA standings, now visit the surprising third-seeded Sun to open a three-game road trip.

The Sun (14-9) lost their first two games at home as part of a dreadful start but have won seven of their last eight games at home and also gone 13-4 since a 1-5 start to the season -- one that began as a rebuilding year after the loss for the season of Chiney Ogwumike.

They went 7-2 in July (8-2 in their last 10 overall), finishing the month tied with the Washington Mystics for first place in the Eastern Conference -- and Sun coach Curt Miller was named coach of the month by the league earlier this week. Miller and his staff also coached the East squad in the All-Star Game in Seattle.

"We've got to do the little things," Miller said on the team's website. "We're not going to talk about end results, not going to talk about wins and losses as much as the process to get us there. We're scout heavy, we're going to focus on other teams' schemes, we're going to focus on our own schemes, and we're going to try to peak at the right time.

"If there's anything I've done as a head coach through my career, it's finding ways to peak at the right time. We finished strong last year. We have an opportunity, if we can get hot in August, that's our goal, because I really feel like you have to try and peak at the right time with the playoffs looming in September."

In the Sun's last game, Jasmine Thomas led five players in double figures with 15 points and the club never trailed, cruising to an 89-73 home victory over the Indiana Fever in the opener of a four-game homestand.

Jonquel Jones, who leads the Sun in scoring (15.6) and rebounding (11.3, also tops in the league), had 14 points, 13 rebounds and three blocked shots in Sunday's win.

Danielle Robinson of the Mercury needs three rebounds to reach 500 for her WNBA career.

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Sky (8-16) at Fever (8-16)
Date: August 04, 2017 7:00 PM EDT

Two struggling teams tied near the bottom of the WNBA standings meet Friday when the Chicago Sky visit the Indiana Fever at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

Only the San Antonio Stars (4-21) have fewer wins than the Sky (8-16) or Fever (8-16). However, Chicago and Indiana are just two games behind the Atlanta Dream, who currently hold the WNBA's eighth and final playoff position at 10-14.

The Sky have lost three in a row, including a hard-fought 86-82 defeat to the New York Liberty on Sunday at home. Chicago guard Stephanie Dolson missed a jumper that would have tied the score with four seconds to go.

Indiana has lost four in a row and nine of 10 overall. The Fever committed 18 turnovers Sunday in an 89-73 loss at Connecticut.

"I just said they're a good team, and I meant that," Fever coach Pokey Chatman said of the Sun after the loss. "But we also gave them 18 turnovers and 23 points. They don't need that much help. We dug a 12-foot hole and only had a 7-foot ladder. We dug a hole too deep."

Indiana All-Star forward Candice Dupree missed the game against Connecticut a few days after her wife, DeWanna Bonner of the Phoenix Mercury, gave birth to twins. Dupree's status for the Friday game had not been updated as of Thursday afternoon.

The Sky shook up their roster this week with a midseason trade with the Dream. Chicago sent forwards Tamera Young and Imani Boyette to Atlanta for forward Jordan Hooper and a first-round pick in next season's WNBA draft.

"Hooper is a versatile shooter who is skilled at both forward positions," Sky coach Amber Stocks said. "Gaining an additional first-round pick to our already talent rich 2018 roster, further strengthens our impact."

Hooper was a first-round pick 2014 out of Nebraska.

This will be the third meeting this season between Chicago and Indiana. The Fever won both previous matchups, which were in Chicago, 91-79 on June 18 and 82-75 on June 28. Dupree led Indiana in scoring in both games.

The Fever have won six of their past seven meetings with the Sky.

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Storm (10-13) at Wings (11-14)
Date: August 04, 2017 8:00 PM EDT

In early May, Dallas Wings coach Fred Williams thought his team could jell and compete for a WNBA title.

"Working toward a championship is what we're looking at this year, especially with the chemistry of players that we have," Williams told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

Almost three months later, the Wings (11-14) are in a three-way battle for the final two playoff spots with the Atlanta Dream and the Seattle Storm (10-13), whom Dallas hosts on Friday evening at College Park Center in Arlington, Texas.

Friday's game is a rematch of a dismal defensive effort by Dallas in Seattle's 109-93 home win a week ago. The Storm also beat Dallas 89-69 on July 1 in Dallas, and Seattle will be going for a season sweep on Friday.

In the win last Friday, Jewell Loyd scored 27 points and Breanna Stewart added 20 as the Storm set a franchise record by making 61.5 percent of its shots.

"It was just good to see consistent effort, consistent focus and consistency throughout the game," Seattle coach Jenny Boucek told the Seattle Times after the win. "We've had a lot of brilliant moments this season, but the consistency has been lacking a little bit in closing out games. Teams are always going to make a run on you at some point, and we kind of got wobbly a little bit losing so many close games early, to be honest with you."

During the game, Stewart, who has 50 points in two games against the Wings, became the fastest player in WNBA history to reach 500 rebounds. On July 25, Stewart became the fastest to 1,000 points.

Seattle's Dallas date is the second of five straight road games. The Storm is just 2-7 on the road -- second worst in the league.

The win over the Wings was Seattle's only one in its past four games. But Williams sees a lot to be worried about.

"(Seattle) has two All-Stars from this year and (Jewell) Loyd is another player who's in that mode," the coach said, according to the website Swish Appeal. "They're a triple-threat team and they get you with those types of quality players. Defensively, we just have to get over the young mistakes that we're having. Once we learn all of those things, it'll all come together."

For the Wings, this is the first of three straight home games. They host second-place Los Angeles on Sunday and Phoenix on Thursday.

Things could get a little easier for the Storm this weekend when it travels to play the 4-21 San Antonio Stars. Seattle concludes its trip with games against the Eastern Conference-leading Connecticut Sun on Tuesday and Phoenix on Aug. 12.

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Mystics (14-9) at Stars (4-21)
Date: August 04, 2017 8:00 PM EDT

Washington brings a three-game winning streak to San Antonio to face a confident Stars team on Friday.

But the Mystics will be without their leading scorer, Elena Delle Donna, who suffered a thumb injury in Washington's 77-70 victory at Atlanta on Sunday.

Delle Donne, the 2015 league MVP, had surgery earlier this week to repair a torn ligament in her left thumb. She is expected to be out 2-3 weeks.

"We're going to re-evaluate where (Delle Donne) is after a couple weeks," Washington coach Mike Thibault said. "We have had numerous injuries this year and have gotten through them. If we can get her for the last three to five games, somewhere around there, in the regular season, and get her ready for the playoffs, great."

Delle Donne, the Mystics' leading scorer at 18.8 points per game, tore the ulnar collateral ligament in her non-shooting hand during the first quarter of the Mystics' win over Atlanta. She also had surgery on her right thumb in mid-September last year, missing the final six games as well as the playoffs for Chicago, which drafted Delle Donne No. 2 overall in 2013.

The Mystics (14-9) and Stars met most recently on June 25, with the Mystics rolling to an easy 86-76 win in the Alamo City.

But this is a more confident San Antonio squad. The Stars, looking to win consecutive games for the first time this season, are coming off a rousing 93-81 come-from-behind home victory against New York on Tuesday. Star guard Kayla McBride exploded for a career-high 31 points.

San Antonio trailed by four points heading into the final quarter but put everything together when it counted the most, outscoring the Liberty 28-12 in the final period.

The Stars (4-21) also got a career-high 19 points from Kayla Alexander, who made her first start of the season, and 10 from rookie Kelsey Plum in the win.

Instead of unraveling down the stretch as they have for most of the year, the Stars turned in perhaps their best 10 minutes of the season and roared to the victory. New York led 79-77 with 5:35 to play, but the Stars scored 16 of the final 18 points while the Liberty missed its final six shots and had two costly turnovers in the final three minutes.

"We finally learned from it," McBride said. "We had a little bit of confidence. Not everything went our way; but, at the end of the day, we stuck to our schemes, we stuck to the process and it ended up falling our way."

The victory snapped a three-game losing streak and assured the Stars would not finish with the WNBA's worst single-season record. The Tulsa Shock (now located in Dallas as the Wings) went 3-31 in 2011.

"It's a great, great win because our team deserved it," San Antonio coach Vickie Johnson said. "We played with passion, heart and desire -- and we played together. Yes, we made mistakes. But we didn't drop our heads. It's very key for a young team to continue to play through mistakes, continue to have confidence in their skill set, and to continue to play for the team."

The WNBA announced Thursday that the July 28 game between the Connecticut Sun and the Mystics, which was postponed due to potentially unsafe playing conditions on the arena floor, has been rescheduled for Aug. 29 at Verizon Center in Washington, D.C.

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Liberty (12-11) at Sparks (17-6)
Date: August 04, 2017 10:30 PM EDT

When the Liberty return to New York after their five-game road trip, coach Bill Laimbeer's squad will have traveled just under 6,100 miles since the All-Star break.

A trip that started in St. Paul, Minn., and continued to Indianapolis, Chicago and San Antonio concludes Friday night when the Liberty visit the Los Angeles Sparks at Staples Center.

The Liberty (12-11) are 2-2 on their trek away from Madison Square Garden and are coming off a disheartening loss to San Antonio. The Stars outscored Tina Charles and Co. 28-12 in the fourth quarter to earn only their fourth win of the season, 93-81 on Tuesday.

New York has endured an up-and-down season, and the long road trip is helping the team come closer together.

"I think some teams are able to find their identity early in the season; for others, it takes longer," Charles told ESPN. "The more we're able to see what each of us is able to do, the more we can depend on each other."

And now the Liberty, who remain in the thick of the race for a playoff spot, face off against Candace Parker, Nneka Ogwumike and the Sparks. Los Angeles has the second-best record in the WNBA at 17-6. The Sparks are on a three-game winning streak yet remain three games behind the Minnesota Lynx.

Parker vs. Charles should be a delicious matchup with both being named players of the week in their respective conferences.

Charles, who also was the player of the month for July, was selected player of the week for the 25th time in her eight seasons, extending her record for the most such awards in WNBA history. It was her fourth Eastern Conference player of the week honor this season.

Parker isn't too far behind, having been honored 21 times in her 10 seasons. She recently turned in a historic performance, recording only the sixth triple-double in WNBA history July 28 against the Stars. In Los Angeles' 85-73 victory, she compiled 11 points, 17 rebounds and 11 assists as well as four blocks.

The teams are meeting for the second time this season. The Sparks dominated on May 30 as Ogwumike scored 22 points and Parker added 20 in a 90-75 victory at New York. Back then, the Sparks were just trying to find themselves.

"We are focusing on what we can do better as a team and what individual people can do to contribute," Ogwumike said. "There are definitely some things that are a work in progress for us, but we are building off last year in our own way. In some cases, that requires starting from scratch."

With Parker and Ogwumike, the Sparks have the nucleus to make a deep postseason run.

New York has lacked consistency on offense with Charles being the mainstay. Laimbeer thought he solved the team's offensive struggles before the All-Star break taking All-Star Sugar Rodgers out of the starting lineup and bringing her off the bench.

The results have been mixed. Still, Charles, the unquestioned leader, made sure Rodgers' confidence wasn't damaged.

"I've come off the bench to bring energy and scoring and whatever we need," Rodgers said. "Tina thought it was a good idea, and that I was mature enough for that role.

"Not everybody can do it. But she thought it was something I could achieve, and it's working. I'm willing to stick with it and keep going forward."

[StarDust Bum]

FRIDAY, AUGUST 4

GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

PHO at CONN 07:00 PM

CONN -8.0

O 167.5

CHI at IND 07:00 PM

CHI +1.5

O 163.0

WAS at SA 08:00 PM

SA +6.0

O 154.0

SEA at DAL 08:00 PM

SEA -1.0

O 173.5

NY at LA 10:30 PM

LA -9.0

U 158.5

[StarDust Bum]

Friday's WNBA Capsules
August 5, 2017

UNCASVILLE, Conn. (AP) Jonquel Jones had 19 points and 15 rebounds, Shekinna Stricklen made two free throws with 11 seconds left for a four-point lead and Connecticut beat Phoenix 93-92 on Friday night.

Leilani Mitchell made a 3-pointer for Phoenix with 3 seconds left to pull within one. Stricklen missed two free throws at the other end and Cayla George's shot at the buzzer was off the mark.

Alyssa Thomas added 18 points and seven rebounds for Connecticut (15-9). Jasmine Thomas scored 13 of the Sun's 31 points in the first quarter and finished with 15.

Diana Taurasi made four 3-pointers and scored 33 points on 12-of-18 shooting for Phoenix (13-11). It was her third time in five games scoring 30-plus.

SKY 81, FEVER 70.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Courtney Vandersloot had 18 points and 10 assists for her third straight double-double for Chicago.

Vandersloot keyed Chicago's 14-0 run for a 70-58 lead with big plays on three straight possessions. She banked in a 3-pointer, made a no-look pass to Bashaara Graves for a layup and hit a pull-up jumper in transition.

Jazmon Gwathmey made an open 3-pointer from the wing with 1:14 left to pull Indiana to 76-70. But after a timeout, Vandersloot swung it to the corner for a Kahleah Copper 3-pointer to seal it.

Allie Quigley scored 15 points and Copper added 13 for Chicago (9-16).

Candice Dupree led Indiana (8-17) with 18 points.

STARS 76, MYSTICS 74

SAN ANTONIO (AP) - Isabelle Harrison scored 20 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, and Kelsey Plum had a career-high 12 assists for San Antonio which won consecutive home games for the first time since July 2015.

Alexander and Kayla McBride each added 12 points for San Antonio (5-21).

Kristi Toliver scored 18 points to lead Washington (14-10), which was without star Elena Delle Donne. Krystal Thomas grabbed a career-high 20 rebounds.

WINGS 93, STORM 80

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) - Skylar Diggins-Smith had 23 points and seven assists, and Dallas tied a WNBA record with 16 3-pointers.

Diggins-Smith was 5 of 7 from distance, and Allisha Gray and Theresa Plaisance each hit three 3s. The Wings set a franchise record for 3-pointers, going 16 of 26 (61.5 percent).

Karima Christmas-Kelly added 14 points for Dallas (12-14).

Jewell Loyd scored 23 points and Breanna Stewart added 21 for Seattle (10-14).

SPARKS 87, LIBERTY 74

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Candace Parker scored 24 points, and Odyssey Sims added 20 to help Los Angeles.

It was tied at 44 at halftime but New York only scored 11 points in the third quarter and didn't score in the fourth until Rebecca Allen's jumper at the 7:35 mark.

Los Angeles made four of its six 3-pointers in the third quarter and scored 25 points. Parker had eight points in the quarter and Nneka Ogwumike added seven.

Ogwumike finished with 17 points for Los Angeles (18-6), which only had six turnovers compared to New York's 13.

Bria Hartley scored 16 points for New York (12-12).