Tweet
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 16
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS
LA at WAS 07:00 PM
LA -4.0
U 158.5
MIN at SEA 10:00 PM
MIN -6.5
O 165.0
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS
LA at WAS 07:00 PM
LA -4.0
U 158.5
MIN at SEA 10:00 PM
MIN -6.5
O 165.0
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Remember the 3 G's Gambling, Golf, Girls not in any particular order.....
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WNBA Capsules
August 16, 2017
WASHINGTON (AP) Candace Parker scored 21 points and the Los Angeles Sparks eased by the Washington Mystics 95-62 on Wednesday night.
Odyssey Sims had 18 points, seven assists and four steals for Los Angeles (20-8), and Nneka Ogwumike also had 18 points. Parker and Ogwumike combined to make 17 of 23 field goals.
The Sparks shot 61.5 percent en route to their largest margin of victory this season. Los Angeles led by 14 points at halftime after shooting 63 percent from the floor. Washington equaled its 12 turnovers-per-game average in the first half and finished with 20.
Emma Meesseman scored 20 points for Washington (16-11), which was without Elena Delle Donne and fellow double-digit scorer Tayler Hill. Kristi Toliver added 11 points against her former team.
The Mystics and Sparks stood side-by-side with locked arms during a moment of silence for victims killed and injured in Charlottesville, Virginia.
STORM 62, LYNX 61
SEATTLE (AP) - Jewell Loyd scored 16 points and Crystal Langhorne made a go-ahead basket with 11.1 seconds left, helping Seattle beat Minnesota.
Loyd had a shot blocked on a drive but it fell to Langhorne in the lane for a layup to give Seattle the lead. After a timeout, Maya Moore missed a baseline jumper and Sylvia Fowles' putback hit the bottom of the rim.
Langhorne finished with 13 points for Seattle (12-16), which was without Sue Bird because of knee soreness. Breanna Stewart scored 10 of her 12 points in the first half and had 11 rebounds.
Moore had 15 points and 11 rebounds for Minnesota (21-5). Starter Rebekkah Brunson played 10 minutes in the first half but didn't return in the second because of an ankle injury.
The Lynx and Storm linked arms before the game during a moment of silence to honor those killed and injured in Charlottesville, Virginia.Remember the 3 G's Gambling, Golf, Girls not in any particular order.....Comment
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SCHEDULE FOR FRIDAY AUGUST 18, 2017
Time (ET) Away Home Site
7:00 PM New York Liberty Connecticut Sun Mohegan Sun Arena
7:00 PM Phoenix Mercury Washington Mystics Verizon Center
8:00 PM Indiana Fever Minnesota Lynx Target Center
8:30 PM Los Angeles Sparks Chicago Sky Allstate Arena
10:00 PM San Antonio Stars Seattle Storm KeyArena
SCHEDULE FOR SATURDAY AUGUST 19, 2017
Time (ET) Away Home Site
8:00 PM Atlanta Dream Dallas Wings College Park Center
SCHEDULE FOR SUNDAY AUGUST 20, 2017
Time (ET) Away Home Site
3:00 PM Minnesota Lynx New York Liberty Madison Square Garden
3:00 PM Phoenix Mercury Connecticut Sun Mohegan Sun Arena
5:00 PM Washington Mystics Indiana Fever Bankers Life Fieldhouse
6:00 PM Seattle Storm Chicago Sky Allstate Arena
SCHEDULE FOR TUESDAY AUGUST 22, 2017
Time (ET) Away Home Site
8:00 PM Phoenix Mercury Minnesota Lynx Target Center
10:30 PM San Antonio Stars Los Angeles Sparks Staples Center
SCHEDULE FOR WEDNESDAY AUGUST 23, 2017
Time (ET) Away Home Site
7:00 PM Dallas Wings Connecticut Sun Mohegan Sun Arena
7:00 PM New York Liberty Indiana Fever Bankers Life Fieldhouse
7:00 PM Seattle Storm Atlanta Dream McCamish Pavilion
Updated Thu Aug 17 1:04 AM EDT
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LEAGUE STANDINGS
Rank Team W L PCT GB CONF HOME ROAD L-10 STREAK
#1Minnesota Lynx - x21 5 0.808 - 11-2 11-2 10-3 7-3 L 2
#2 Los Angeles Sparks - x20 8 0.714 2 9-4 12-1 8-7 7-3 W 1
#3 Connecticut Sun - x18 9 0.667 3.5 9-4 10-3 8-6 8-2 W 6
#4 Washington Mystics16 11 0.593 5.5 11-2 10-3 6-8 6-4 L 1
#5 New York Liberty15 12 0.556 6.5 7-5 9-4 6-8 7-3 W 3
#6 Phoenix Mercury14 13 0.519 7.5 6-7 7-7 7-6 3-7 L 1
#7 Dallas Wings13 16 0.448 9.5 7-9 9-6 4-10 4-6 L 2
#8 Seattle Storm12 16 0.429 10 7-7 9-6 3-10 4-6 W 2
#9 Chicago Sky11 16 0.407 10.5 5-9 4-9 7-7 6-4 W 3
#10 Atlanta Dream10 19 0.345 12.5 4-11 7-8 3-11 1-9 L 8
#11 Indiana Fever9 19 0.321 13 4-9 6-7 3-12 2-8 L 2
#12 San Antonio Stars - o7 22 0.241 15.5 1-12 6-10 1-12 5-5 W 1Remember the 3 G's Gambling, Golf, Girls not in any particular order.....Comment
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Thursday’s six-pack
— Eagles cut RB Ryan Mathews, saving themselves $4M on the salary cap.
— Nick Markakis has 2,009 career hits, but has never made an All-Star Game, the 4th-most hits of anyone on that list.
— Juan Pierre had 2,217 hits but never made an All-Star Game; he is on top of that list.
— Maine graduate transfer Wesley Myers committed to South Carolina. He averaged 16.9 ppg last season. Gamecocks had a player suspended this week, so this helps replace him.
— If a major leaguer changes uniform numbers, he has to buy all the inventory that is in stock with his name and the old number on it.
— Wyoming QB Josh Allen might be the first pick in the 2018 NFL Draft; Wyoming and Eastern Michigan were the only schools to offer him a scholarship coming out of junior college.
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Thursday’s List of 13: Doing some thinking out loud…..
13) I hope Ryan Fitzpatrick writes a book someday; he went to college at Harvard, which means he didn’t get an athletic scholarship, but he still made the NFL and entering his 13th year as an NFL quarterback. Tampa Bay is his 7th team.
Fitzpatrick played for four teams in four years, but what is weird is that he started 9+ games in all four of those years— there is no way anyone else has ever done this before, not at QB.
2012 Buffalo, 16 starts
2013 Tennessee, 9 starts
2014 Houston, 12 starts
2015 NJ Jets, 16 starts
What a unique career; if he makes the Buccaneers this summer and it looks like he will, it is unlikely he’ll play much, with Jameis Winston entrenched as the Bucs’ starting QB.
12) In 42 games batting in the #4 or #5 slot this year, Giancarlo Stanton hit .262 with 11 HR, 30 RBI, and an OB% of .335.
In 71 games since moving to the #2 slot in the order, Stanton is batting .302, with 33 HR’s, 64 RBI and a .404 on-base %age.
11) They told a funny story on the Padres’ game yesterday; there used to be an umpire named Frank Pulli, who was considered to be one of the better umpires. Pulli was doing an exhibition game behind the plate and after he calls a borderline strike on David Bell, he says to Bell:
“You better swing the bat today; it’s my grandson’s birthday”, inferring he had a party to go to and this was going to be a fast game.
10) Good grief; heard the other night that they change the bases in major league games every three innings, and then sell the bases online. Game used bases!!!! Greed knows no bounds.
9) Interesting comment from an NFL coach/executive, I can’t remember who it was, someone with the Colts or Lions, but they came out and said that NFL teams get more out of joint practices during the week than they do from the exhibition game that is played on the weekend, which is a good piece of knowledge.
8) Houston Astros swing at more first pitches than any team in baseball; they’ve hit 47 homers not eh first pitch of an AB, most in the majors this season.
7) Didi Gregorius batting cleanup, Todd Frazier batting 8th; interesting lineups Joe Girardi puts on the field. Manager of the Year in the AL will be tough to decide, if the Angels make the playoffs. Girardi and Mike Scioscia are both doing really good jobs this season.
6) Mets have saved a total of roughly $9M from their salary dumps this summer (Duda, Walker, Bruce, Reed). Too bad they’re not in a big city with a new, publicly-funded stadium, then they could actually try and w— oh wait, New York City is a big city. The Wilpons are slimy; thank the Lord they don’t own the A’s.
5) Strange ballgame in Oakland Tuesday night; A’s led Kansas City 4-3 after seven innings but their bullpen imploded in the 8th and KC led 8-4- there was no joy at Armadillo World HQ, that is for sure. Then Oakland scored six runs in the bottom of the 8th; Matt Joyce hit a bases loaded double after the Royals walked Rajai Davis intentionally so they could pitch to Joyce with the bases loaded (lefty-lefty BS).
Weird game with a happy ending, unless you had the Royals or the under.
4) Last season was first time since 2003 that both Super Bowl teams missed the playoffs the following season.
3) Since 2005, the defending Super Bowl champ is 4-7 in playoff games the next season, with Seattle in 2014 getting two of the four wins.
2) Last year was first time in eight years that the Super Bowl loser missed the playoffs the following season. Last time the Super Bowl loser made it back to the Super Bowl the next season? The 1993 Bills, losing their 4th consecutive Super Bowl.
1) 1994 Patriots are the last team to repeat as Super Bowl champs.Remember the 3 G's Gambling, Golf, Girls not in any particular order.....Comment
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WNBA August Record: Best Bets ( BASED ON 5 UNITS )
DATE W-L-T % UNITS
08/16/2017..............2-2-0............50.00%.....................-1.00
08/15/2017..............2-0-0...........100.00%..................+10.00
08/13/2017..............2-0-0...........100.00%..................+10.00
08/12/2017..............5-3-0.............62.50%...................+8.50
08/11/2017..............1-3-0.............25.00%...................-1150
08/10/2017..............1-3-0.............25.00%...................-1150
08/08/2017..............3-3-0..............50.00%...................-1.50
08/06/2017..............4-2-0..............66.67%..................+9.00
08/05/2017..............3-1-0..............75.00%..................+9.50
08/04/2017..............4-6-0..............40.00%..................-13.00
08/03/2017..............0-2-0................0.00%..................-11.00
Totals...................27 - 25 - 0...........51.92%..................-2.50
DATE.......................ATS................TOTA L............OU................TOTAL
08/16/2017..............1 - 1..........- 0.50...........1 - 1.................- 0.50
08/15/2017..............1 - 0..........+ 5.00..........1 - 0................+ 5.00
08/13/2017..............1 - 0..........+ 5.00..........1 -0.................+ 5.00
08/12/2017..............2 - 2..........- 1.00...........3 - 1................+ 9.50
08/11/2017..............1 - 1..........- 0.50...........0 - 2................- 11.00
08/10/2017..............0 - 2..........- 11.00..........1 - 1.................- 0.50
08/08/2017..............3 - 0...........+15.00........0 - 3.................- 16.50
08/06/2017..............2 - 1...........+ 4.50.........2 - 1.................+ 4.50
08/05/2017..............2 - 0...........+10.00........1 - 1...................- 0.50
08/04/2017..............3 - 2............+ 4.00........1 - 4..................-17.00
08/03/2017..............0 - 1.............- 5.50........0 - 1...................- 5.50
Totals....................16 - 9 - 0........+ 25.00.........10 - 15.................-27.50Remember the 3 G's Gambling, Golf, Girls not in any particular order.....Comment
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WNBA
Long Sheet
Friday, August 18
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PHOENIX (14 - 13) at WASHINGTON (16 - 11) - 8/18/2017, 7:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
PHOENIX is 31-14 ATS (+15.6 Units) in road games after 3 or more consecutive overs since 1997.
WASHINGTON is 308-363 ATS (-91.3 Units) in all games since 1997.
WASHINGTON is 0-9 ATS (-9.9 Units) as an underdog this season.
Head-to-Head Series History
PHOENIX is 4-3 against the spread versus WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
PHOENIX is 5-2 straight up against WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
4 of 7 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
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NEW YORK (15 - 12) at CONNECTICUT (18 - 9) - 8/18/2017, 7:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
CONNECTICUT is 18-9 ATS (+8.1 Units) in all games this season.
CONNECTICUT is 14-5 ATS (+8.5 Units) when playing with 2 days rest over the last 2 seasons.
CONNECTICUT is 11-2 ATS (+8.8 Units) vs. division opponents this season.
CONNECTICUT is 10-2 ATS (+7.8 Units) after a division game this season.
CONNECTICUT is 137-96 ATS (+31.4 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent since 1997.
CONNECTICUT is 15-6 ATS (+8.4 Units) after allowing 75 points or more this season.
CONNECTICUT is 16-8 ATS (+7.2 Units) after scoring 75 points or more this season.
CONNECTICUT is 14-7 ATS (+6.3 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 77+ points/game this season.
CONNECTICUT is 19-10 ATS (+8.0 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 77+ points/game after 15+ games over the last 2 seasons.
CONNECTICUT is 30-14 ATS (+14.6 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 77+ points/game over the last 2 seasons.
NEW YORK is 46-27 ATS (+16.3 Units) in road games when playing with 3 or more days rest since 1997.
Head-to-Head Series History
NEW YORK is 6-4 against the spread versus CONNECTICUT over the last 3 seasons
NEW YORK is 8-2 straight up against CONNECTICUT over the last 3 seasons
6 of 10 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
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INDIANA (9 - 19) at MINNESOTA (21 - 5) - 8/18/2017, 8:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.
Head-to-Head Series History
MINNESOTA is 6-5 against the spread versus INDIANA over the last 3 seasons
MINNESOTA is 8-3 straight up against INDIANA over the last 3 seasons
8 of 11 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
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LOS ANGELES (20 - 8) at CHICAGO (11 - 16) - 8/18/2017, 8:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
LOS ANGELES is 176-223 ATS (-69.3 Units) after scoring 75 points or more since 1997.
LOS ANGELES is 13-23 ATS (-12.3 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 2 seasons.
LOS ANGELES is 90-122 ATS (-44.2 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 77+ points/game since 1997.
LOS ANGELES is 6-0 ATS (+6.0 Units) in road games after 3 or more consecutive unders over the last 3 seasons.
CHICAGO is 12-25 ATS (-15.5 Units) after 3 or more consecutive wins since 1997.
Head-to-Head Series History
LOS ANGELES is 8-3 against the spread versus CHICAGO over the last 3 seasons
LOS ANGELES is 9-2 straight up against CHICAGO over the last 3 seasons
6 of 11 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
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SAN ANTONIO (7 - 22) at SEATTLE (12 - 16) - 8/18/2017, 10:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
SEATTLE is 65-44 ATS (+16.6 Units) in home games in August or September games since 1997.
SEATTLE is 121-81 ATS (+31.9 Units) in home games vs. division opponents since 1997.
SEATTLE is 62-40 ATS (+18.0 Units) in home games versus poor defensive teams - allowing 77+ points/game since 1997.
SAN ANTONIO is 74-50 ATS (+19.0 Units) in a road game where where the total is greater than or equal to 150 since 1997.
SEATTLE is 38-60 ATS (-28.0 Units) off an upset win as an underdog since 1997.
Head-to-Head Series History
SEATTLE is 7-4 against the spread versus SAN ANTONIO over the last 3 seasons
SEATTLE is 6-5 straight up against SAN ANTONIO over the last 3 seasons
6 of 11 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
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WNBA
Friday, August 18
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Trend Report
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7:00 PM
NEW YORK vs. CONNECTICUT
New York is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games
New York is 3-6-2 ATS in its last 11 games when playing Connecticut
Connecticut is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
Connecticut is 1-4-2 ATS in its last 7 games when playing at home against New York
7:00 PM
PHOENIX vs. WASHINGTON
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Phoenix's last 5 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Phoenix's last 10 games when playing on the road against Washington
Washington5-1-1 SU in its last 7 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Washington's last 5 games when playing Phoenix
18, 8:00 PM
INDIANA vs. MINNESOTA
Indiana is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Minnesota
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Indiana's last 9 games when playing Minnesota
Minnesota is 4-10 ATS in its last 14 games at home
Minnesota is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games
8:30 PM
LOS ANGELES vs. CHICAGO
Los Angeles is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Chicago
Los Angeles is 9-2 SU in its last 11 games when playing Chicago
Chicago is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Los Angeles
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Chicago's last 9 games when playing at home against Los Angeles
10:00 PM
SAN ANTONIO vs. SEATTLE
San Antonio is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Seattle
San Antonio is 3-16 SU in its last 19 games when playing on the road against Seattle
Seattle is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games
Seattle is 14-6 SU in its last 20 games at home
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WNBA
Dunkel
Friday, August 18
San Antonio @ Seattle
Game 665-666
August 18, 2017 @ 10:00 pm
Dunkel Rating:
San Antonio
102.775
Seattle
117.630
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Seattle
by 15
152
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Seattle
by 9 1/2
157
Dunkel Pick:
Seattle
(-9 1/2); Under
Los Angeles @ Chicago
Game 663-664
August 18, 2017 @ 8:30 pm
Dunkel Rating:
Los Angeles
115.509
Chicago
110.526
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Los Angeles
by 5
153
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Los Angeles
by 7 1/2
164 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Chicago
(+7 1/2); Under
Indiana @ Minnesota
Game 661-662
August 18, 2017 @ 8:00 pm
Dunkel Rating:
Indiana
107.359
Minnesota
113.324
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Minnesota
by 6
144
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Minnesota
by 15 1/2
158 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Indiana
(+15 1/2); Under
New York @ Connecticut
Game 659-660
August 18, 2017 @ 7:00 pm
Dunkel Rating:
New York
110.791
Connecticut
120.418
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Connecticut
by 9 1/2
172
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Connecticut
by 6
168
Dunkel Pick:
Connecticut
(-6); Over
Phoenix @ Washington
Game 657-658
August 18, 2017 @ 7:00 pm
Dunkel Rating:
Phoenix
112.010
Washington
108.057
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Phoenix
by 4
178
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Phoenix
by 1
165
Dunkel Pick:
Phoenix
(-1); OverRemember the 3 G's Gambling, Golf, Girls not in any particular order.....Comment
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Preview: Mercury (14-13) at Mystics (16-11)
Date: August 18, 2017 7:00 PM EDT
The short-handed Washington Mystics were routed at home on Wednesday. Less than 48 hours later comes an opportunity to push aside the bad loss and gain separation in the WNBA playoff picture against the visiting Phoenix Mercury.
The Mystics (16-11) and Mercury (14-13) meet for the second time in two weeks and final time this season Friday.
Washington will need a much better performance than its 95-62 loss against the Los Angeles Sparks. The Sparks led 51-36 at halftime and shot 61.5 percent from the field en route to ending the Mystics' two-game winning streak.
"Throw it away and get ready for Phoenix," Washington coach Mike Thibault said. "It's not one of those ones where you have a choice, really. We will line up at 7 o'clock on Friday night against Phoenix and they are really good."
Washington's 85-80 home victory on Aug. 6 means Friday's winner takes the season series 2-1.
The Mystics are two games ahead of the Mercury, who are one game behind the fifth-place New York Liberty. The top four teams receive a bye into the second round of the league playoffs.
The Mystics remain without All-Star Elena Delle Donne (thumb surgery). Phoenix played the previous meeting without Brittney Griner, but the WNBA's top scorer returned for Saturday's 98-89 home loss to the Seattle Storm. Griner, who had 19 points, missed the previous eight games with knee and ankle injuries.
"They have Griner back and it will be war," Thibault said. "We can't just sit there and wait for Elena to get back, we have to find a way to do something positive. We have done that, won five of our last six games but fact of the matter is that we are playing some teams that are just as desperate as us to get their playoff seeding right. Phoenix is chasing us and it's the tiebreaker. There is a lot at stake."
Diana Taurasi led the Mercury with 20 points. Phoenix has lost three of four.
"It was disappointing," Taurasi said to the Arizona Republic. "Brittney looked great for not playing for four weeks. That's tough to do and come in and play as effective as she did. I think she looked great out there and obviously she makes a huge difference. That was probably the only positive we'll take out of today's game."
Loss aside, the return of the one of the league's best players comes at just the right time.
"I felt fine," Griner said of her injuries. "I didn't have an issue with the ankle or the knee. The limited minutes (stunk) the most. You get going, you start feeling good and no matter if you're tired or not, you kind of forget about being fatigued. But I got going then I had to come out."
Kristi Toliver scored 20 points and Tierra Ruffin-Pratt had 17 for Washington in the previous meeting with Phoenix.
WNB HEAD TO HEAD
Aug 6, 2017 Score ATS Results
PHO 80 Over: 165
WAS « 85 Cover: 1.5
Tools: Recaps
Jul 5, 2017 Score ATS Results
WAS 80 Over: 168
PHO « 88 Cover: 7
Tools: RecapsRemember the 3 G's Gambling, Golf, Girls not in any particular order.....Comment
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Preview: Liberty (15-12) at Sun (18-9)
Date: August 18, 2017 7:00 PM EDT
The New York Liberty won their third game in a row when they stopped the Los Angeles Sparks at Madison Square Garden last Sunday, raising their record to 15-12.
"I think we've found our mojo a little bit as a team and we just want to keep continuing this," Shavonte Zellous said after her 19 points helped the Liberty to their big win.
The next step for that mojo won't be as easy when the Liberty visit the red-hot Connecticut Sun on Friday night at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville.
The Sun, who started the season with four straight losses and five in their first six games, have gone 17-4 since. They have won six straight, seven of their last eight and 12 of their last 14.
Their only loss in the last eight games came to the Liberty, who scored their first win in the three games of the season series at Madison Square Garden July 19. They lead the Eastern Conference and are the No. 3 seed in the playoffs, which they last reached in 2012.
Oh, and the Sun have won eight straight at home.
Wednesday night, the Sun, in the midst of nine of 10 games at home, went down to Atlanta and hammered the Dream with a season-high 28 assists.
Jonquel Jones, who goes against New York's Tina Charles on Friday, has seven straight double-doubles, 17 on the season.
"It's her putting time into her own game," Sun coach Curt Miller said. "Confidence coming back from a very successful first overseas season. She's so versatile too. It's not a lot the coaches are doing, it's just a great player showing her versatility."
Charles scored 21 points and Epiphanny Prince had 18 in the Liberty's win over the Sparks. Zellous credited their home fans as a key to the win that dropped the second-place Sparks to 20-8 on the season.
New York used a 20-0 run over a five-minute stretch of the second quarter, essentially doing to LA what the Sparks did to them out on the west coast.
Friday's game starts a new four-game homestand for the Sun, who swept a five home games before losing at Atlanta. They host the Phoenix Mercury Sunday and the Dallas Wings next Wednesday as they steam toward their playoff appearance.
Talking about the win over the Dream, Miller said:
"The Dream is so athletic. You worry about their athleticism and their ability to get out in transition so you have to compete and make them get in the half-court. We tried to make their shots as difficult as possible."
WNB HEAD TO HEAD
Jul 19, 2017 Score ATS Results
CONN 80 Over: 176
NEW « 96 Cover: 18.5
Tools: Recaps
Jun 23, 2017 Score ATS Results
CONN « 94 Cover: 9.5
NEW 89 Over: 183
Tools: Recaps
Jun 14, 2017 Score ATS Results
NEW 76 Over: 172
CONN « 96 Cover: 18
Tools: RecapsRemember the 3 G's Gambling, Golf, Girls not in any particular order.....Comment
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Preview: Fever (9-19) at Lynx (21-5)
Date: August 18, 2017 8:00 PM EDT
Two weeks ago, the Minnesota Lynx were 20-2 and burning through their WNBA schedule.
Then the team lost point guard Lindsay Whalen to a hand injury and the league's best team is 1-3 since.
Things in Minnesota will get a little easier Friday when the Lynx (21-5) host the Indiana Fever (9-19) at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.
On Wednesday, in a 62-61 loss to a Seattle Storm team that was playing without veteran point guard Sue Bird, the Lynx shot only 33.3 percent from the field, with its two stars -- Maya Moore and Sylvia Fowles -- going a combined 11-for-31.
To make matters worse, forward Rebekkah Brunson missed the second half after appearing to suffer an ankle injury.
So, how does Minnesota turn it around?
"I don't know," coach Cheryl Reeve told the (Minneapolis) Star Tribune. "We'll have to search for answers."
"We need to ... get over the humps a little better so we can finish some of these games," Moore told the paper.
Moore, who along with Fowles had a chance in the closing moments, missed 11 of 16 shots and had 15 points.
"(I) didn't execute by hitting the shot," said Moore, referring to her baseline jumper. "Of course, I want it back to try and get that shot to go in. Ultimately, the game wasn't won or lost on that possession for us, but we gave ourselves a chance to win."
The Storm focused on slowing Fowles, the WNBA MVP frontrunner, who had torched Seattle for 29 and 26 points in Lynx wins earlier this season.
The Storm held Fowles, a 66 percent field-goal shooter, to 13 points on 6-for-15 shooting.
"We made it really tough on her," Storm forward Breanna Stewart told the Seattle Times after the game. "And when we're trapping from all over the place, she's not sure of where it's coming from. ... Whatever shot she took, they were tough shots and contested."
Indiana has lost seven of its past eight games, dropping the Fever into 11th place in the WNBA standings and putting in serious jeopardy its hopes for a 13th consecutive trip to the postseason.
Ironically, the only Indiana win during that stretch came against the Lynx in Minnesota's first game after Whalen sustained her injury.
On Saturday, the Fever lost 100-80 to the Mystics in Washington. Indiana was outrebounded 35-25 and outshot 58 percent to 44.
"Once again, we allowed Washington to be comfortable early in the game and get some momentum," Fever coach Pokey Chatman told the team's website. "We allowed 28 points in the first quarter. After the delay, I thought we had some energy, but we didn't do enough to keep their players from doing what they wanted on their offensive end of the floor."
On Thursday, the team announced that Tiffany Mitchell, who sat out the Washington game with right knee pain, will miss the remainder of the season.
The second-year guard was averaging 10.3 points.
Indiana is three games behind eighth-place Seattle, which holds the final playoff spot. The Fever has a rematch with Washington at home Sunday.
The Lynx, whose lead in the standings is down to two games, will be in New York on Sunday to face the Liberty.Remember the 3 G's Gambling, Golf, Girls not in any particular order.....Comment
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Preview: Sparks (20-8) at Sky (11-16)
Date: August 18, 2017 8:30 PM EDT
The Chicago Sky get to measure their recent improvement against one of the WNBA's best teams Friday.
Chicago (11-16) return from an eight-day layoff to host the defending champion Los Angeles Sparks (20-8) at Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Ill., in the third and final meeting of the season.
The Sky is coming off a 94-74 victory over San Antonio on Aug. 10 as Courtney Vandersloot and Allie Quigley scored 21 and 17 points, respectively.
The victory was the third straight for Chicago since a late July slump and moved the Sky to within a half-game of the eighth and final WNBA playoff berth behind Seattle. The Storm visits the Sky on Sunday.
"We knew that they're trying to fight to still make the playoffs and so are we," Quigley said. "So we really wanted to prove the point that we want to be in the playoffs."
Los Angeles and Chicago split two previous meetings. The Sparks claimed a 79-70 decision on June 6 while the Sky bounced back to take an 82-80 last-second victory July 20 at the Staples Center.
"This is a good time to be playing really good basketball," Vandersloot said. "I think early in the season, we knew that with our slow start, it was really important to be playing this type of basketball in August. Here's August, the playoffs are right at our fingertips."
Friday's game is an annual homecoming for Sparks star Candace Parker, the Chicago-area native who starred at Naperville Central (Ill.) High School and then went on to win NCAA championships at Tennessee and Olympic gold medals for the United States.
Los Angeles is coming off a 95-62 rout of Washington on Wednesday as Parker scored 21 points.
Odyssey Sims had 18 points, seven assists and four steals and Nneka Ogwumike also had 18 points. Parker and Ogwumike combined to hit 17 of 23 field goals.
"We just have so many different weapons and so much athleticism on the floor," Parker said. "And so many people who are able to spread the floor."
The Sparks -- 2-2 on their five-game road trip -- are second in the WNBA, two games behind Minnesota. Los Angeles returns home to meet San Antonio on Tuesday.
WNB HEAD TO HEAD
Jul 20, 2017 Score ATS Results
CHI « 82 Cover: 14
LOS 80 Under: 162
Tools: Recaps
Jun 6, 2017 Score ATS Results
CHI 70 Cover: 4
LOS « 79 Under: 149
Tools: Recaps
Oct 6, 2016 Score ATS Results
CHI 0 Under: 0
LOS « 0 Cover: 6
Tools:
Oct 4, 2016 Score ATS Results
LOS « 95 Cover: 12.5
CHI 75 Over: 170
Tools: Recaps
Oct 2, 2016 Score ATS Results
LOS 66 Under: 136
CHI « 70 Cover: 12
Tools: RecapsRemember the 3 G's Gambling, Golf, Girls not in any particular order.....Comment
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Preview: Stars (7 - 22) at Storm (12 - 16)
Date: August 18, 2017 10:00 PM EDT
On Wednesday, the Seattle Storm stunned the best team in the WNBA at the last second.
After knocking off the Minnesota Lynx in dramatic fashion, Seattle hosts the league-worst San Antonio Stars on Friday night at Key Arena. The Stars enter with a 1-12 road record.
The Storm (12-16) are on their first winning streak since getting four consecutive victories May 14-28. They followed up a 98-89 victory at Phoenix on Saturday with a gritty 62-61 win over Minnesota.
In Seattle's most impressive win of the season, the Storm executed the pressure defense implemented by new coach Gary Kloppenburg perfectly. They held the Lynx to 33 percent shooting, including a combined 10-of-31 showing from Maya Moore and Sylvia Fowles.
"I think down the stretch, crunch time, we got some key stops that we had to get," Kloppenburg said. "I think if you're playing hard and you're battling every possession, you create your own luck."
Seattle is 2-0 since Kloppenburg replaced Jenny Boucek on Aug. 10. The team lost 15 of 21 games before deciding to make the change.
The Storm topped the Lynx despite playing without Sue Bird, who missed the game due to left knee soreness. With Bird watching from the bench, Crystal Langhorne hit the go-ahead layup with 11.1 seconds remaining.
"When Klopp stepped up as the head coach, we looked at it as an eight-game season," said Storm forward Breanna Stewart, who totaled 12 points and 11 rebounds Wednesday. "We have eight games to prove ourselves and get ourselves back in the mix of things. That's what we're doing."
Now the Storm must avoid succumbing to an opponent playing better of late despite a 7-22 record.
The Stars are 4-1 in their past five games and are doing well offensively. San Antonio is averaging 82.8 points this month, and one of those games was an 87-80 overtime home victory against the Storm on Aug. 5
Kelsey Plum scored 23 points in the OT win. The former University of Washington star is averaging 7.7 points heading into her second appearance in Seattle as a pro. She was held to eight points on 2-of-11 shooting in a 75-57 loss at Seattle on June 18.
San Antonio is coming off an 84-68 victory over the Atlanta Dream on Saturday. Isabelle Harrison scored 13 of her 23 points in the third quarter and displayed a dominating inside presence by making 10 of 12 shots as the Stars shot 52.4 percent.
"I just wanted to focus on my defense and let that lead into my offense," Harrison said. "We just had a lot of opening scoring positions from the high post. Coach was talking to me before the game about it, so I just wanted to take advantage of that."
WNB HEAD TO HEAD
Aug 5, 2017 Score ATS Results
SEA 80 Over: 167
SA « 87 Cover: 14
Tools: Recaps
Jun 18, 2017 Score ATS Results
SA 57 Under: 132
SEA « 75 Cover: 7.5
Tools: Recaps
Jun 6, 2017 Score ATS Results
SEA « 85 Cover: 1
SA 76 Over: 161
Tools: RecapsRemember the 3 G's Gambling, Golf, Girls not in any particular order.....Comment
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FRIDAY, AUGUST 18
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS
NY at CONN 07:00 PM
CONN -6.0
O 168.0
PHO at WAS 07:00 PM
WAS +2.5
O 162.0
IND at MIN 08:00 PM
MIN -15.5
LA at CHI 08:30 PM
CHI +7.5
U 165.5
SA at SEA 10:00 PM
SA +10.0
O 156.0Remember the 3 G's Gambling, Golf, Girls not in any particular order.....Comment
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WNBA Capsules
August 18, 2017
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) Sylvia Fowles scored 25 points and the Minnesota Lynx shattered the WNBA record for margin of victory at 59 points, beating the Indiana Fever 111-52 on Friday night.
The Lynx set another league record with a 37-0 run that began at 4:54 of the first quarter when Minnesota led 22-9 and ended with Alexis Jones' layup for a 59-9 lead, also at the 4:54 mark, in the second quarter.
Minnesota broke the margin record of 46 set by Seattle in a 111-65 win over Tulsa on Aug. 7, 2010.
The Lynx, who were 20-2 two weeks ago, but 1-3 since losing point guard Lindsay Whalen to a hand injury, also played without forward Rebekkah Brunson. She left Minnesota's previous game, a loss to Seattle on Wednesday night, because of a sprained ankle.
Renee Montgomery added 20 points, and Jia Perkins had 15 points and seven rebounds for the league-leading Lynx (22-5). They hit exactly 100 points three times this season before Friday's effort that fell three shy of the team record.
Jazmon Gwathmey led Indiana (9-20) with 12 points.
SPARKS 115, SKY 106, 2OT
ROSEMONT, Ill. (AP) - Nneka Ogwumike scored 32 points and Candace Parker added 29 in Los Angeles' double-overtime victory over Chicago.
Ogwumike added 10 rebounds, and Parker had 12. Chelsea Gray had 20 points and 10 assists, and Odyssey Sims added 15 points and 10 assists.
Ogwumike and Parker made layups to open the second overtime and help Los Angeles (21-8) pull away. Ogwumike had a jumper with 33 seconds in the first overtime to tie at 99.
The Sky (11-17) rallied from 10 points down with 2:38 left in regulation, with Stefanie Dolson hitting two 3-pointers in the final 11 seconds - the second with 3 seconds left to tie it at 88.
Allie Quigley made four 3-pointers, setting the Sky's season record with 69, in scoring 26 points. Courtney Vandersloot added 22 points and 12 assists, and Dolson had 18 points and 10 rebounds.
LIBERTY 82, SUN 70
UNCASVILLE, Conn. (AP) - Tina Charles had 24 points and seven rebounds and New York beat Connecticutto extend its winning streak to four and end the Sun's run at six.
Sugar Rodgers added 13 points, Nayo Raincock-Ekunwe 12 and Bria Hartley 11 for the Liberty (16-12). They also snapped the Sun's eight-game home winning streak.
The Liberty, with the WNBA's top field-goal defense, held the Sun (18-10) to 34 percent.
Jasmine Thomas led the Sun with 15 points. Shekinna Stricklen added 12, Jonquel Jones 11 and Alyssa Thomas 10, the latter two dealing with foul trouble. Jones, with nine rebounds, had a streak of seven straight double-doubles end.
Charles scored 18 points in the second quarter when the Liberty took a four-point halftime lead. The Liberty also led by four after three quarters with Rodgers giving New York an 80-63 lead with a 3-pointer with 3:38 left in the game.
MERCURY 89, MYSTICS 79
WASHINGTON (AP) - Diana Taurasi scored 14 of her 25 points in the fourth quarter to help Phoenix Mercury pull away against Washington.
Taurasi hit a jumper with five minutes to go to give Phoenix (15-13) the lead for good at 71-70. With the Mercury up 10, Taurasi added four free throws in the final minute to keep the Mystics (16-12) at bay.
Camille Little added 15 points on 5-of-5 shooting, and Stephanie Talbot made all three of her 3-point attempts and scored 12 points. Brittney Griner, playing in her second game after missing eight with injuries, added 13 points and 10 rebounds.
The Mystics, who have been without All-Star Elena Delle Donne all of August after thumb surgery, got 21 points from Kristi Toliver, 13 from Shatori Walker-Kimbrough and 12 from Krystal Thomas.
STORM 79, STARS 78
SEATTLE (AP) - Breanna Stewart had 22 points and nine rebounds and Seattle escaped with a victory over San Antonio when Kelsey Plum's basket with 0.8 seconds left was ruled a 2-pointer after a review showed her toe on the 3-point line.
Jewell Loyd added 18 points for Seattle (13-16).
Dearica Hamby had 19 points and 10 rebounds for the Stars (7-23), and Kayla McBride addied 19 points. Plum, the No. 1 overall pick from the University of Washington, scored 15 points.Remember the 3 G's Gambling, Golf, Girls not in any particular order.....Comment
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SCHEDULE FOR SATURDAY AUGUST 19, 2017
Time (ET) Away Home Site
8:00 PM Atlanta Dream Dallas Wings College Park Center
SCHEDULE FOR SUNDAY AUGUST 20, 2017
Time (ET) Away Home Site
3:00 PM Minnesota Lynx New York Liberty Madison Square Garden
3:00 PM Phoenix Mercury Connecticut Sun Mohegan Sun Arena
5:00 PM Washington Mystics Indiana Fever Bankers Life Fieldhouse
6:00 PM Seattle Storm Chicago Sky Allstate Arena
SCHEDULE FOR TUESDAY AUGUST 22, 2017
Time (ET) Away Home Site
8:00 PM Phoenix Mercury Minnesota Lynx Target Center
10:30 PM San Antonio Stars Los Angeles Sparks Staples Center
SCHEDULE FOR WEDNESDAY AUGUST 23, 2017
Time (ET) Away Home Site
7:00 PM Dallas Wings Connecticut Sun Mohegan Sun Arena
7:00 PM New York Liberty Indiana Fever Bankers Life Fieldhouse
7:00 PM Seattle Storm Atlanta Dream McCamish Pavilion
SCHEDULE FOR THURSDAY AUGUST 24, 2017
Time (ET) Away Home Site
9:00 PM Los Angeles Sparks Phoenix Mercury Talking Stick Resort Arena
SCHEDULE FOR FRIDAY AUGUST 25, 2017
Time (ET) Away Home Site
7:00 PM Chicago Sky Connecticut Sun Mohegan Sun Arena
7:30 PM Washington Mystics New York Liberty Madison Square Garden
8:00 PM Minnesota Lynx San Antonio Stars AT&T Center
Updated Sat Aug 19 1:04 AM EDT
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LEAGUE STANDINGS
Rank Team W L PCT GB CONF HOME ROAD L-10 STREAK
#1 Minnesota Lynx - x22 5 0.815 - 11-2 12-2 10-3 7-3 W 1
#2 Los Angeles Sparks - x21 8 0.724 2 9-4 12-1 9-7 7-3 W 2
#3 Connecticut Sun - x18 10 0.643 4.5 9-5 10-4 8-6 7-3 L 1
#4 New York Liberty16 12 0.571 6.5 8-5 9-4 7-8 7-3 W 4
#5 Washington Mystics16 12 0.571 6.5 11-2 10-4 6-8 6-4 L 2
#6 Phoenix Mercury15 13 0.536 7.5 6-7 7-7 8-6 4-6 W 1
#7 Seattle Storm13 16 0.448 10 8-7 10-6 3-10 4-6 W 3
#8 Dallas Wings13 16 0.448 10 7-9 9-6 4-10 4-6 L 2
#9 Chicago Sky11 17 0.393 11.5 5-9 4-10 7-7 5-5 L 1
#10 Atlanta Dream10 19 0.345 13 4-11 7-8 3-11 1-9 L 8
#11 Indiana Fever9 20 0.310 14 4-9 6-7 3-13 2-8 L 3
#12 San Antonio Stars - o7 23 0.233 16.5 1-13 6-10 1-13 5-5 L 1Remember the 3 G's Gambling, Golf, Girls not in any particular order.....Comment
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WNBA August Record: Best Bets ( BASED ON 5 UNITS )
DATE W-L-T % UNITS
08/18/2017..............4-5-0............44.44%.....................-7.50
08/16/2017..............2-2-0............50.00%.....................-1.00
08/15/2017..............2-0-0...........100.00%..................+10.00
08/13/2017..............2-0-0...........100.00%..................+10.00
08/12/2017..............5-3-0.............62.50%...................+8.50
08/11/2017..............1-3-0.............25.00%...................-1150
08/10/2017..............1-3-0.............25.00%...................-1150
08/08/2017..............3-3-0..............50.00%...................-1.50
08/06/2017..............4-2-0..............66.67%..................+9.00
08/05/2017..............3-1-0..............75.00%..................+9.50
08/04/2017..............4-6-0..............40.00%..................-13.00
08/03/2017..............0-2-0................0.00%..................-11.00
Totals...................31 - 30 - 0...........50.81%..................-10.00
DATE.......................ATS................TOTA L............OU................TOTAL
08/18/2017..............2 - 3..........- 6.50...........2 - 2................- 1.00
08/16/2017..............1 - 1..........- 0.50...........1 - 1.................- 0.50
08/15/2017..............1 - 0..........+ 5.00..........1 - 0................+ 5.00
08/13/2017..............1 - 0..........+ 5.00..........1 -0.................+ 5.00
08/12/2017..............2 - 2..........- 1.00...........3 - 1................+ 9.50
08/11/2017..............1 - 1..........- 0.50...........0 - 2................- 11.00
08/10/2017..............0 - 2..........- 11.00..........1 - 1.................- 0.50
08/08/2017..............3 - 0...........+15.00........0 - 3.................- 16.50
08/06/2017..............2 - 1...........+ 4.50.........2 - 1.................+ 4.50
08/05/2017..............2 - 0...........+10.00........1 - 1...................- 0.50
08/04/2017..............3 - 2............+ 4.00........1 - 4..................-17.00
08/03/2017..............0 - 1.............- 5.50........0 - 1...................- 5.50
Totals.................18 - 12 - 0........+ 18.50.........12 - 17.................-28.50Remember the 3 G's Gambling, Golf, Girls not in any particular order.....Comment
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