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

[StarDust Bum]

Lynx secure No. 1, WNBA playoffs set
September 3, 2017

NEW YORK (AP) The WNBA playoffs are set - finally.

Minnesota secured the top spot in the postseason while Los Angeles will be the No. 2 seed. Those two teams, who met for the WNBA Finals last season, have byes again until the semifinals. The Lynx had to beat Washington on the final day of the regular season to secure the top spot as the Sparks were a game behind them and held the tiebreaker. Minnesota finished with the league's best record for the fifth time in seven years.

''That was crucial getting the top seed,'' Lynx center Sylvia Fowles told The Associated Press in a phone interview Sunday. ''We understood we made it hard for ourselves, but we came in and got those last three games.''

New York and Connecticut had already clinched byes to the second round before Sunday's play. The Liberty earned the No. 3 seed by beating Dallas on Sunday and matched a franchise record with a 10th straight win. Both New York and Connecticut will host the winners of Wednesday's first-round games on Sunday, Sept. 10.

''You control what you can control,'' Liberty coach Bill Laimbeer said. ''We're just trying to peak at the right time heading into the playoffs.''

The Sun, who have been the surprise team this season, lost two of three heading into the postseason.

''To our players' credit, there was a real belief in the locker room that we could overachieve,'' Connecticut coach Curt Miller said. ''We had some special chemistry that we could be better than what many predicted us finishing. They never wavered after the start and the close losses that accumulated at the beginning of the year. I can't be more pleased. It's disappointing that we didn't come up with an Eastern Conference championship, but hats off to New York with 10 straight wins at the finish to catch us.''

Seattle clinched a postseason berth on Friday, finalizing the eight teams in the playoffs. The Storm and seventh-seed Dallas were the only teams who knew their playoff position going into Sunday. Neither knew who it would face until the late afternoon.

The Storm will visit the Mercury in the first round Wednesday while the Wings play at Washington in the other playoff game that night.

The WNBA changed its format last season taking the top eight teams to the postseason instead of going with four from each conference. The league also changed the format so that the first two rounds are one game each. The semifinals and championship round are best of five.

The semifinals will begin Sept. 12 in Minnesota and Los Angeles with the WNBA Finals starting Sept. 24.

''It's going to be good to have some rest,'' Fowles said. ''We had two of our starters that have been out. Lindsay Whalen's still trying to get her way back. That will be big to get her back and (having the time off) will help with that.''

[StarDust Bum]

Cheat Sheet - First Round
September 4, 2017

The first round of the WNBA playoffs begin on Wednesday with a single-elimination format. The winners of these games will travel to either No. 3 New York or No. 4 Connecticut for second round matchups on Sunday.

Those games will be single-elimination as well with the winners advancing to the semifinals against either No. 1 Minnesota or No. 2 Los Angeles for a five-game series.

No. 7 Dallas at No. 6 Washington (ESPN2, 8:00 p.m. ET)

-- The Wings went 2-1 both straight up and against the spread versus the Mystics this season.

-- The road team went 3-0 in the three regular season encounters and the visitor has win eight straight meetings in this head-to-head series.

-- The ‘under’ went 2-1 in the three meetings this season and the low side cashed in both matchups from D.C.

-- Dallas went 6-11 SU as a visitor this season but managed to produce a winning record (9-8) at the betting counter.

-- The Wings saw the ‘over’ go 12-5 in their away games.

-- Washington went 11-6 SU and 9-8 ATS at home while the ‘over’ went 9-8.

-- The Mystics closed the season with a 2-5 (1-6 ATS) record and one of the losses came versus Dallas.

-- The Wings finished 3-2 SU and 4-1 ATS in the final two weeks of the season and the two losses came by a combined seven points.

-- Dallas went 9-9 versus the Eastern Conference this season while Washington was just 6-12 against the West.

-- Washington hasn’t had much success in the playoffs, going 4-16 overall since the 2002 postseason. They are a combined 1-4 in their most recent trips (2014, 2015) and bettors should note that the ‘over’ has gone 10-2 in the last 12 playoff battles.

-- This will be the first playoff game for the Wings since they moved the franchise to Dallas.

No. 8 Seattle at No. 5 Phoenix (ESPN2, 10:00 p.m. ET)

-- Phoenix won and covered two of its three meetings against Seattle this season.

-- The Mercury won both of those games on the road, but the Storm earned a 98-89 win at Phoenix on Aug. 12 as a five-point road underdog.

-- Including those results, Phoenix is 7-3 in the last 10 encounters versus Seattle and the ‘over’ has gone 6-4 during this stretch.

-- Among the eight playoff teams, Seattle owns the worst road mark at 5-12 SU and 7-9-1 ATS.

-- The Storm did close the season with a 3-2 mark both SU and ATS as visitors and the offense helped that cause by averaging 95 points per game.

-- Phoenix went 9-8 SU and 8-10 ATS at Talking Stick Resort Arena this season.

-- After mired in a 2-7 slump, the Mercury ended the regular season with three straight wins and covers. The defense only allowed 69 PPG during this stretch, which helped the ‘under’ go 3-0.

-- Seattle stopped Chicago 85-50 last Sunday in their road finale, which snapped a three-game losing skid.

-- Phoenix went 2-0 in last year’s playoffs, winning both single-elimination games before getting swept by Minnesota in the semifinals.

-- Seattle dropped a 94-85 decision at Atlanta in the first round of last year’s playoffs.

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo: Wednesday's six-pack

Odds to win this year’s Super Bowl:

New England Patriots +385

Green Bay Packers +950

Seattle Seahawks +1000

Pittsburgh Steelers +1050

Dallas Cowboys +1225

Atlanta Falcons +1400

Buccaneers, Dolphins both have their bye week in Week 11; play this week’s game on November 19 and let teams/families stay together during Hurricane Irma this week.


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

13) From the New York Times:

“Investigators for Major League Baseball have determined that the Boston Red Sox, who are in first place in the American League East and likely headed to the playoffs, executed a scheme to illicitly steal hand signals from opponents’ catchers in games against the second-place Yankees and other teams, according to several people briefed on the matter.”

So the Patriots and now the Red Sox are cheaters? Terrific…….

Red Sox, by the way, are claiming that their rivals from New York are doing the same thing as far as stealing signals go. The A’s? Our guys can’t afford Apple watches.

12) Tennessee 42, Georgia Tech 41 OT— Great ballgame; has a team ever rushed for 535 yards and lost? Tech went for 2 points and the win in the second OT— I HATE THIS STRATEGY. Here is why I hate this strategy:

— Tennessee was favored; all the pressure to win was on them.
— Georgia Tech has the better QB; the longer you play, the better off you are.
— It is free TV exposure (for recruiting purposes)!!!!! There was nothing else on TV.
— To me, there is no point in putting the whole game on your offense’s shoulders. Your team played a great game— now they feel like they screwed the game up.
— If you had Tennessee -4 (I did not), you also hate this strategy, because it cost you any chance to win your wager, but that really isn’t relevant, unless you gave the four points.

Terrific ballgame; great fun to watch. But the better team lost this game.

11) Georgia Tech ran the ball for 535 yards; they ran 96 plays, Tennessee 59. It’ll be a long time before another team runs the ball for 535 yards and loses.

10) Umpire Will Little guided the Bronx Bombers to victory again Monday; last 3 years, New York is now 7-0 with Little behind plate, allowing 17 runs in the seven games.

9) If you had Texas A&M on the moneyline Sunday night, you feel as if God hates you, since the Aggies led 44-10 in the third quarter- they lost 45-44 at UCLA.

8) Random stat: Since beginning of the 2015 season, ACC teams are 15-11 vs spread when playing an SEC opponent.

7) Now that Deondre Francois is out of this season, it will be interesting to see if Florida State has any WR’s/RB’s who were high school QB’s who could run a Wildcat-type offense in the red zone. With a totally inexperienced freshman QB at the helm now, a more mobile QB near the goal line could be a big help for the Seminoles. We’ll see how creative Jimbo Fisher gets.

6) More than 20,000 acres of Oregon’s landscape is currently on fire; it is also unseasonably warm in Oregon— those two things have poisoned the air around Eugene, forcing the Oregon Ducks to move their practices closer to the Pacific Coast. Ducks play Nebraska Saturday.

5) Only 18 players have hit four home runs in a major league game, making JD Martinez’ feat against the Dodgers Monday even more impressive.

4) JJ Watt has now raised over $20 million to help the people in Texas. His original goal was $200,000. Amazing.

3) I have to laugh when Dodger fans or Red Sox fans go into a panic when their team loses 2 or 3 games in a row; I root for the Oakland A’s, who were eliminated from the pennant race the day after I got my income tax return, and I file my return early.

2) Former New Mexico coach Mike Locksley’s 25-year old son Meiko died Sunday night after he was shot in Columbia, MD. Mike Locksley is now WR coach/co-offensive coordinator at Alabama. Very sad thing; our thoughts/prayers go out to the family.

1) What happens if some of these 800,000 “dreamers” are carrying a gun in Iraq or driving a tank in Afghanistan? Will they be kicked out of the military in six months? These people are protecting American interests, if not America itself.

At some point, hopefully common sense and common decency will win out here.

[StarDust Bum]

WNBA
Dunkel

Wednesday, September 6

Seattle @ Phoenix

Game 679-680
September 6, 2017 @ 10:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Seattle
107.319
Phoenix
114.958
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Phoenix
by 7 1/2
172
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Phoenix
by 4
164
Dunkel Pick:
Phoenix
(-4); Over

Dallas @ Washington

Game 677-678
September 6, 2017 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Dallas
104.146
Washington
115.521
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Washington
by 11 1/2
176
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Washington
by 5
172 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Washington
(-5); Over




WNBA
Long Sheet

Wednesday, September 6

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DALLAS (16 - 18) at WASHINGTON (18 - 16) - 9/6/2017, 8:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
DALLAS is 21-32 ATS (-14.2 Units) after scoring 75 points or more over the last 2 seasons.
DALLAS is 10-19 ATS (-10.9 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 77+ points/game after 15+ games over the last 2 seasons.
DALLAS is 5-13 ATS (-9.3 Units) in road games versus good offensive teams - scoring 77+ points/game after 15+ games over the last 2 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 14-7 ATS (+6.3 Units) as a favorite this season.
WASHINGTON is 309-369 ATS (-96.9 Units) in all games since 1997.
WASHINGTON is 59-84 ATS (-33.4 Units) when playing with 2 days rest since 1997.
WASHINGTON is 5-13 ATS (-9.3 Units) against Western conference opponents this season.
WASHINGTON is 5-13 ATS (-9.3 Units) in non-conference games this season.
WASHINGTON is 3-13 ATS (-11.3 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
WASHINGTON is 4-4 against the spread versus DALLAS over the last 3 seasons
WASHINGTON is 4-4 straight up against DALLAS over the last 3 seasons
5 of 8 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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SEATTLE (15 - 19) at PHOENIX (18 - 16) - 9/6/2017, 10:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
SEATTLE is 9-25 ATS (-18.5 Units) in road games on Wednesday since 1997.
SEATTLE is 38-62 ATS (-30.2 Units) off an upset win as an underdog since 1997.
SEATTLE is 9-17 ATS (-9.7 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 77+ points/game this season.
SEATTLE is 12-4 ATS (+7.6 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record after 15+ games over the last 2 seasons.
PHOENIX is 3-11 ATS (-9.1 Units) after 3 or more consecutive wins over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
PHOENIX is 6-4 against the spread versus SEATTLE over the last 3 seasons
PHOENIX is 7-3 straight up against SEATTLE over the last 3 seasons
5 of 9 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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WNBA

Wednesday, September 6

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Trend Report
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8:00 PM
DALLAS vs. WASHINGTON
The total has gone UNDER in 15 of Dallas's last 23 games when playing Washington
Dallas is 2-7 SU in its last 9 games on the road
Washington is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Dallas
Washington is 0-4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against Dallas

10:00 PM
SEATTLE vs. PHOENIX
Seattle is 5-14 SU in its last 19 games on the road
Seattle is 4-11 ATS in its last 15 games when playing Phoenix
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Phoenix's last 6 games when playing at home against Seattle
Phoenix is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games when playing at home against Seattle

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Wings (16-18) at Mystics (18-16)
Date: September 06, 2017 8:00 PM EDT

WASHINGTON -- The Washington Mystics faded over the final weeks of the WNBA season, and they enter the playoffs as the sixth seed. That means Elena Delle Donne and crew host their first-round matchup Wednesday.

The problem is, the visiting Dallas Wings have had no issue playing at Washington this season.

The seventh-seeded Wings (16-18) finished 6-11 on the road, but they won both meetings at Washington (18-16) this season, including an 83-78 triumph Aug. 26 behind 20 points from Skylar Diggins-Smith. Dallas led the league in scoring at 86.1 points per game.

"I think we played pretty well against Washington," Wings coach Fred Williams told the Dallas Morning News ahead of the Wednesday night game. "So it'll be a pretty good matchup all the way around."

Expectations soared for the Mystics after they acquired Delle Donne in a blockbuster trade with Chicago during the offseason and signed guard Kristi Toliver. Injuries to Delle Donne, Tayler Hill and Natasha Cloud played a factor in Washington never quite finding a rhythm. Washington went 2-6 over its final eight games.

The Mystics lost four of five following the return of Delle Donne from a lengthy absence caused by thumb surgery. Delle Donne finished the season tied for third in the league in scoring at 19.7 points and shot 95.3 percent from the free-throw line. She scored 12 points in 18 minutes Sunday during the regular-season finale, an 86-72 loss at Minnesota.

"I thought it was a great game to have right before playoffs," Delle Donne said of the matchup against the regular-season champion Lynx. "Definitely a good game to get under our belt."

Delle Donne dominated in Washington's final home game of the regular season with 37 points on Friday in a 110-106 overtime victory over Seattle. The Mystics went 11-6 at home.

"We had some good moments and we had some lulls, but other than that, it's time for playoffs now," Delle Donne said. "It's a clean slate, and we are excited about the opportunity."

Emma Meesseman, who missed 11 games playing overseas, ranked second on the Mystics behind Delle Donne with an average of 14.1 points.

Diggins-Smith ranked seventh in the league in scoring at 18.5 points per game and finished fourth in assists at 5.8 per game. Against Washington, the point guard upped her averages to 20.6 points and 7.3 assists.

"I just try to do what I do naturally. I don't think it's forced -- any of the responsibilities," Diggins-Smith said following the Wings; previous win over Washington. "Being a leader in this locker room and being with Fred for as long as I have and being in this league for as long as I have ... It's a team effort. It's a team full of everyone stepping up."

Washington ranked third in rebounding this season, led by Krystal Thomas' work inside (third in the league at 9.6 boards per game). Dallas has its own premier rebounder in Glory Johnson (fifth at 9.1).

The winner Wednesday will meet either the New York Liberty or the Connecticut Sun in a road game Sunday. The winner of that contest moves onto the best-of-five semifinals.


WNB HEAD TO HEAD

Aug 26, 2017 Score ATS Results
DAL « 83 Cover: 9.5
WAS 78 Under: 161
Tools: Recaps

Jun 18, 2017 Score ATS Results
DAL « 87 Cover: 12
WAS 83 Under: 170
Tools: Recaps

Jun 6, 2017 Score ATS Results
WAS « 101 Cover: 8.5
DAL 89 Over: 190
Tools: Recaps

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Storm (15-19) at Mercury (18-16)
Date: September 06, 2017 10:00 PM EDT

Last season, as the No. 8 seed, the Phoenix Mercury won their first- and second-round, single-elimination playoff games en route to the semifinals.

This year, the Mercury enter the playoffs three spots higher.

Phoenix, which hosts the Seattle Storm on Wednesday evening at Wells Fargo Arena in Tempe, Ariz., jumped into fifth place on Sunday with its 84-70 win over Atlanta and Washington's loss at Minnesota.

The Mercury and Mystics both finished the regular season 18-16, but Phoenix held the tiebreaker.

"We wanted to finish fifth, that was our goal," Mercury coach Sandy Brondello told the Arizona Republic after the win. "But we know every game from here forth is hard, just like it was tonight. The first half was a free-throw show, but in the second half we kept it to 27 points. That's fantastic for us.

"We did a good job executing the (plan), and that's important for the playoffs. Every possession counts for us."

Mercury center Britney Griner scored 30 points -- the sixth time she reached that plateau this season -- and wrapped up the WNBA scoring title. She averaged 21.9 points, two points better than the Storm's Breanna Stewart.

"Everybody is finding their niche, shooting the ball well," Griner said. "It's going good right now for us."

While Griner called her scoring title "just a number," her coach had more effusive praise.

"No disrespect to the other players because they're great," Brondello said. "I get to see (Griner) day in and day out. Just for me, what she has to do. She carries this team. She's a playmaker, not just a scorer. We put a lot of emphasis on her and what she does and how she changes things at both ends of the floor."

To advance, the Storm will have to figure out a way to slow Griner.

Phoenix took two of three games from Seattle this season -- interestingly, the home team was 0-3 in the series -- and Griner had a combined 54 points in the two wins.

Seattle (15-19), the No. 8 seed, clinched the final postseason spot on Friday when Chicago and Atlanta both lost.

The Storm lost to Washington later that evening but beat Chicago on Sunday, the final day of the WNBA regular season.

Stewart and Jewell Loyd combined for 54 points in the 85-80 win at Chicago.

In an overtime loss to Washington on Friday, Seattle point guard Sue Bird became the WNBA's all-time assists leader.

"What makes it special is that with an assist there's two or more people involved, so it's something that as a point guard I know I take very seriously -- and I'm sure a lot of point guards do -- about getting your teammates involved and trying to get the ball in the right spots," Bird said.

If Seattle wins Wednesday, it would play at third-seeded New York on Sunday. Phoenix, with a win, would play at No. 4 Connecticut.

Washington, the sixth seed, hosts No. 7 Dallas on Wednesday in the other first-round matchup.


WNB HEAD TO HEAD

Aug 27, 2017 Score ATS Results
PHO « 75 Cover: 9
SEA 71 Under: 146
Tools: Recaps

Aug 12, 2017 Score ATS Results
SEA « 98 Cover: 14.5
PHO 89 Over: 187
Tools: Recaps

Jun 23, 2017 Score ATS Results
PHO « 85 Cover: 8
SEA 82 Over: 167
Tools: Recaps

[StarDust Bum]

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 6

GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

DAL at WAS 08:00 PM

DAL +5.0

U 171.0

SEA at PHO 10:00 PM

PHO -4.5

U 164.0

[StarDust Bum]

Delle Donne leads Mystics by Wings
September 6, 2017

WASHINGTON (AP) Elena Delle Donne had 25 points and 11 rebounds, Emma Meesseman added 16 points and 10 boards, and the Washington Mystics beat the Dallas Wings 86-76 on Wednesday night in the first round of the playoffs.

Washington opened the second half on a 21-7 spurt, with eight points by Delle Donne, to take a 55-41 lead. But Dallas went on a 9-0 run in the fourth, capped by Skylar Diggins-Smith's fast-break layup, to pull to 71-67 with 3:13 left.

Washington's Tierra Ruffin-Pratt missed two free throws with 43.2 seconds left, but Krystal Thomas hustled to the offensive rebound. Delle Donne was fouled and put the Mystics ahead by six at the 38.7 mark. The Mystics went 7 of 8 from the line the rest of the way to seal it.

Thomas added a franchise playoff record 17 rebounds for Washington (19-16), which had lost both its home games this season to Dallas. The Mystics await the outcome of the Seattle-Phoenix game later Wednesday night to learn their next opponent.

Aerial Powers scored 21 points for Dallas (16-19) before being ejected with 1:11 to play by picking up a second technical foul. Glory Johnson added 15 points and 14 rebounds, and Diggins-Smith was held to 15 points on 6-of-18 shooting.

Powers capped Dallas' 13-0 run to close the first half with a steal and fast-break layup to tie it at 34.

[StarDust Bum]

WNBA Playoff Record:

09/06/2017 3-1-0 75.00% +9.50

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Mercury (18-16) at Sun (21-13)
Date: September 10, 2017 3:00 PM EDT

Diana Taurasi has had so many proud basketball moments in the state of Connecticut.

Sunday, the former UConn star has a chance to add another one.

Taurasi, the WNBA's all-time leading scorer, takes a 10-0 record in deciding league playoff games into the Mohegan Sun Arena when she and her Phoenix Mercury teammates visit the Connecticut Sun in the second round of the playoffs.

The fifth-seeded Mercury advanced with 79-69 victory over former UConn star Sue Bird and the Seattle Storm while the fourth-seeded Sun had a bye.

The winner of this game advances to a 3-of-5 semifinal against either the No. 1 Minnesota Lynx or the No. 2 Los Angeles Sparks.

The teams played three times in the regular season -- the Sun winning both games in Uncasville, Conn. while the Mercury romped in the Sept. 1 game in Phoenix behind 31 points and eight rebounds from league scoring leader Brittney Griner.

She will be matched up in this game against Jonquel Jones, the league rebounding leader who was voted most improved player in the league.

"It's a very tough matchup," said Connecticut coach Curt Miller, the league's coach of the year. "Phoenix made a concerted effort late in the year to play through Griner. She's a unique player that no one in the league sees, so you have to plan for Brittney Griner.

"You have to have a contingent plan, and a contingent upon contingent plan when she starts to hurt you. When you have two of the most elite players the game has ever seen in Taurasi and Griner, it poses a lot of problems, but they're not the only players that can hurt you."

Jones broke the WNBA rebounding record -- previously held by Tina Charles, then of the Sun, in 2010, finishing with 403 -- and she tied the league record of 20 double-doubles.

"Jonquel Jones is going to be a problem in this league for a long time," Taurasi said at this year's All-Star Game. "With her stature and the way she can handle the ball, shoot the ball, and work so easy on the court, I just think she's got a really bright future."

This was supposed to be a rebuilding year for the Sun, especially after losing star Chiney Ogwumike for the season before the year even started. But after a 1-5 start, Miller's team got hot -- especially at home, where it is 12-5.

The Mercury, 3-0 in single elimination games, finished the season 9-8 both home and on the road before winning their home playoff game.

The three-time WNBA champions (most recently in 2014) have a distinct experience edge in this game. While the Sun players have totaled 875 minutes and 302 points, Taurasi, a three-time champion, has 1,566 minutes and 1,009 points. She cleared the 1,000-point mark with her first basket of the second half of the first-round game.


WNB HEAD TO HEAD

Sep 1, 2017 Score ATS Results
CONN 66 Under: 152
PHO « 86 Cover: 20
Tools: Recaps

Aug 20, 2017 Score ATS Results
PHO 66 Under: 160
CONN « 94 Cover: 23
Tools: Recaps

Aug 4, 2017 Score ATS Results
PHO 92 Cover: 7
CONN « 93 Over: 185
Tools: Recaps

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Mystics (18-16) at Liberty (22-12)
Date: September 10, 2017 5:00 PM EDT

New York has played in the WNBA Finals four times, yet the Liberty still do not have a title.

On Sunday, the Liberty take the first step this postseason with the hopes of raising a championship flag when they host the Washington Mystics in a second-round, single-elimination game at Madison Square Garden.

The winner advances to a best-of-five series against the Minnesota Lynx with Game 1 at 8 p.m. ET Tuesday.

The Mystics advanced out of the first-round by beating the Dallas Wings 86-76 on Wednesday. Elena Delle Donne and Emma Meesseman both compiled double-doubles in the victory.

Delle Donne, in only her sixth game back after suffering a thumb injury, recorded 25 points and 11 rebounds while Meesseman notched 16 points and 10 boards.

The Mystics twice had leads of 13 points against Dallas, but still had to hang on for the win in what turned out to be a physical battle. Washington dominated the glass and kept its composure when the game got chippy.

To beat the Liberty, the Mystics will have to continue to hit the boards and play with an edge, which is easier said than done.

"We got so many big offensive rebounds and I think that's a huge growth thing with our team," Washington head coach Mike Thibault told reporters after the game. "That's a sign that we embraced how the game was being played."

The Mystics will be challenged to repeat their dominance on the boards. The Liberty led the league in rebounds, averaging 38.7 a game.

And for the third straight season, New York led the WNBA in defensive field goal percentage, holding teams to 40.8 percent from the field for the year.

The Liberty won two of three during the regular season and both games at The Garden against the Mystics. The Liberty also have had a week off since closing out their regular season with a win against Dallas.

"We were fortunate to win that," New York head coach Bill Laimbeer said after his team made numerous errors down the stretch.

"We didn't play well," he added. "We played hard. We made some bad mental decisions. But we got our taste of mental blunders out of the way right now. If we do that in the playoffs we will lose."

The Liberty haven't lost since early August and have reeled off 10 straight wins with contributions from all facets of the team.

"We've been in all types of situations all season long," Tina Charles said. "These 10 wins, all of them have been different, but everyone has had an imprint on each game."

Among the players singled out by Charles for such contributions were Shavonte Zellous, Kia Vaughn and Epiphanny Prince.

Sunday's key matchup pits MVP candidate Charles against Delle Donne. Charles averaged just 11.3 points and 7.3 rebounds in the three meetings against the Mystics, down from her season averages of 19.7 and 9.4 rebounds.

Charles' might have a stronger supporting cast with Prince, who was named Comeback Plyer of the Year, and Sugar Rodgers named Sixth Woman of the Year.

Prince averages 12.0 points to go along with 3.6 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.3 steals.

Rodgers, who was at the center of a midseason lineup change, is one of the best 3-point shooters in the league, knocking down 63 attempts, which ranks sixth best in the WNBA.

"We have a solid foundation. We have won 10 in a row," Laimbeer said. "Any team is going to be a tough out in the playoffs. It doesn't matter how you play, it's going to be a war."

Thibault concurred.

"In general, playoff games are more physical, more things are allowed to happen, and if you can fight through that and still keep your defensive presence about you, then that's great," Thibault said.


WNB HEAD TO HEAD

Aug 25, 2017 Score ATS Results
WAS 66 Under: 140
NEW « 74 Cover: 3.5
Tools: Recaps

Jul 16, 2017 Score ATS Results
WAS 55 Under: 140
NEW « 85 Cover: 23.5
Tools: Recaps

Jun 29, 2017 Score ATS Results
NEW 54 Under: 121
WAS « 67 Cover: 6
Tools: Recaps

[StarDust Bum]

WNBA
Dunkel

Sunday, September 10

Washington @ New York

Game 683-684
September 10, 2017 @ 5:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Washington
113.204
New York
116.612
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
New York
by 3 1/2
168
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
New York
by 5
154
Dunkel Pick:
Washington
(+5); Over

Phoenix @ Connecticut

Game 681-682
September 10, 2017 @ 3:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Phoenix
110.794
Connecticut
112.684
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Connecticut
by 2
168
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Connecticut
by 4 1/2
165
Dunkel Pick:
Phoenix
(+4 1/2); Over




WNBA
Long Sheet

Sunday, September 10

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PHOENIX (19 - 16) at CONNECTICUT (21 - 13) - 9/10/2017, 3:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
CONNECTICUT is 6-2 against the spread versus PHOENIX over the last 3 seasons
CONNECTICUT is 4-4 straight up against PHOENIX over the last 3 seasons
4 of 8 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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WASHINGTON (19 - 16) at NEW YORK (22 - 12) - 9/10/2017, 5:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
NEW YORK is 7-6 against the spread versus WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
NEW YORK is 7-6 straight up against WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
7 of 13 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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WNBA

Sunday, September 10

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Trend Report
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3:00 PM
PHOENIX vs. CONNECTICUT
Phoenix is 2-11 ATS in its last 13 games when playing Connecticut
Phoenix is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing Connecticut
Connecticut is 10-2 SU in its last 12 games at home
Connecticut is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Phoenix

5:00 PM
WASHINGTON vs. NEW YORK
Washington is 7-18 SU in its last 25 games when playing on the road against New York
Washington is 2-7 ATS in its last 9 games
New York is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games when playing at home against Washington
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of New York's last 7 games when playing at home against Washington

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SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 10

GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

PHO at CONN 03:00 PM

CONN -4.5

U 165.0

WAS at NY 05:00 PM

NY -5.0

O 153.5

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WNBA Playoff Capsules
September 10, 2017

NEW YORK (AP) Kristi Toliver scored 32 points, hitting a WNBA playoff-record nine 3-pointers, to lead the Washington Mystics to an 82-68 victory over the New York Liberty on Sunday

The Mystics will face Minnesota in the best-of-five semifinals, starting Tuesday night in Minneapolis. This is as far as the Mystics have gone in the playoffs since 2002 - the last time they made it out of the opening round of the postseason.

Washington found itself down 13 points in the first half before rallying to 41-35 at the break. Then Toliver took over. She scored 16 points in the third quarter, hitting all four of her 3-pointers in the period. She could only shrug and smile as the fourth one went in to give the Mystics a 57-46 advantage with 2:48 left in the third. She set the Mystics franchise record for points in a game by the end of the third quarter.

That 3-pointer, her eighth, also broke the previous WNBA record for 3-pointers made in a playoff game.

Tina Charles led the Liberty with 18 points. It's the second consecutive season that New York was a three-seed and lost its first postseason game.

MERCURY 88, SUN 83

UNCASVILLE, Conn. (AP) - Brittney Griner had 26 points and nine rebounds, Diana Taurasi added 23 points, and Phoenix beat Connecticut to reach the semifinals.

Taurasi moved to 11-0 in elimination playoff games.

Phoenix will play Los Angeles on Tuesday night in Game 1 of a best-of-five semfinal series.

Phoenix made 3-pointers on three straight possession late in the fourth quarter to take an 84-79 lead. Leilani Mitchell started it with an open shot from the wing for a 78-76 lead. Taurasi came off a screen for another 3, and Monique Currie capped it with 2:31 left.

Alyssa Thomas had 20 points and 10 rebounds for Sun, and Jonquel Jones added 19 points and 15 rebounds for Connecticut. Jones had 11 points and 12 rebounds in the first half to set a playoff franchise record for rebounds in a half.

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BEST-OF-5 SEMIFINALS


#6 MYSTICS VS. #1 LYNX: TUESDAY, 8 PM ET, ESPN2 |

Eyeing their fourth title in seven years, the Minnesota Lynx raced out to a 20-2 start this season before an up-and-down stretch run. They will be well-rested for the Semifinals once again, having completed the regular season on September 3, but the status of point guard Lindsay Whalen (out since August with a hand injury) remains a major question mark. On the other side is Washington, making its first Semifinals appearance in 15 years. The star-studded matchup of former MVPs Elena Delle Donne and Maya Moore will be must-see, while this year’s MVP favorite, Lynx center Sylvia Fowles, will look to put her own stamp on the series.




#5 MERCURY VS. #2 SPARKS: TUESDAY, 10 PM ET, ESPN2 |

L.A.’s quest to become the first WNBA team to repeat since the 2002 Sparks now goes through Phoenix, with a Mercury team making its ninth Semifinals appearance in 11 seasons on the other side. Former MVPs and Finals MVPs Candace Parker and Diana Taurasi step back into the spotlight having previously met in the 2009, 2013 and 2014 Playoffs. The matchup in the middle, meanwhile, will also be a thrill as Nneka Ogwumike and Brittney Griner clash.