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

[StarDust Bum]

Monday’s six-pack

Top six picks in the Week 1 of the Westgate SuperContest in Las Vegas:

6) Pittsburgh Steelers -8.5 , 706- L

5) Arizona Cardinals -2, 742- L

4) Atlanta Falcons -6.5, 819- L

3) Tennessee Titans -2.5, 839- L

2) Houston Texans -5, 863- L

1) Cincinnati Bengals -2.5, 866- L (Season record: 0-6)

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Monday’s List of 13: Wrapping up an NFL Sunday

Chiefs 42, Patriots 27— Chiefs scored 28 second half points, ran up 537 yards, offsetting 139 penalty yards, as they made New England’s defense look slow. Only one of KC’s six TD drives was less than 75 yards- they had touchdown PLAYS of 75, 78 yards. Surprising result, but last three times New England lost in Week 1, they won the Super Bowl that year.

Bills 21, Jets 12— Buffalo sits alone atop AFC East, holding Jets to 38 rushing yards and 11 first downs. As far as team points over/unders go, my new hobby here, under is 18-7-1— only 7 of 26 teams exceeded their over/under points so far this week. Jets’ total was 15.5, 1.5 points lower than any other team this week.

Falcons 23, Bears 17— Chicago had ball on 10-yard line when game ended; two passes were either dropped/broken up inside 2-yard line in last three plays. Falcons coach Quinn was VERY happy when this game ended and he let it show— not sure happy is right word, maybe total relief after that Super Bowl and then an 0-4 preseason.

Jaguars 29, Texans 7— Upset of Day. Jacksonville ran ball for 155 yards, were +4 in turnovers, and held QB-challenged Houston to 203 yards. Savage was awful in first half; rookie QB Watson played second half, led one TD drive, but this was another very disappointing day in Houston.

Eagles 30, Redskins 17— Philly’s two TD drives were only 56-39 yards; each team scored a defensive TD, as Eagles snapped a 5-game skid against Washington. Iggles converted 8-14 on 3rd down, Redskins only 3-14, as Philly scored TD’s on two of first four drives, then kicked three FG’s on their last six drives.

Lions 35, Cardinals 23— On their first nine drives, Detroit had one TD, one FG, gaining total of 182 yards, but on their last three drives, Lions ran 17 plays for 149 yards and three TD’s. I have a question: is conditioning a factor early in the season? Teams haven’t played full games because coaches are scared of injuries, so when they have to play a full game in Week 1, are some teams in worse shape than others? Arizona’s defense looked very tired at the end.

Raiders 26, Titans 16— One of two games this week (Atl-Chi) with no turnovers. For the week so far, home teams are 7-6 vs spread; over is 3-10. Listening to TV Sunday, the consensus is that the defenses are ahead of offenses in the first couple weeks of the season. Offense takes more precision. Titans were 7-14 on 3rd down but scored only one TD, kicked three FG’s.

Ravens 20, Bengals 0— Baltimore led 3-0 at 2:00 warning of first half, then scored two TD’s in 0:24 span to break game open and lead 17-0 at half. Total yardage in lackluster game was 268-221 Baltimore; Ravens had 85 penalty yards, while Bengals turned ball over five times (-4). Flacco was 9-17/111 passing, after missing just about the whole summer with a bad back.

Steelers 21, Browns 18— Cleveland is now 1-18 in Week 1, with only win 13 years ago. Steelers blocked punt for TD on Browns’ first drive, then survived 144 penalty yards to win their opener. Pittsburgh ran 17 times for only 35 yards, which is not good; Big Ben targeted Brown 11 times, and he caught all 11 passes for 182 yards.

Rams 46, Colts 9— Indy has severe QB issues; if Andrew Luck can’t come back soon, and he hasn’t started practicing yet, they should sign Colin Kaepernick, who is way better than either Tolzien or Brissett. As for the Rams, this was a great day; Jared Goff looked like an NFL QB and the defense was dominant, even without Aaron Donald.

Packers 17, Seahawks 9— Game was scoreless until just before the half; this was 5th time in Seattle’s last nine road games that they scored 10 or less points. Rodgers was a magician on third down (9-16), as usual; Green Bay held Seahawks to 12 first downs as Seattle lost its 8th game in a row at Lambeau Field.

Panthers 23, 49ers 3— Hard to tell much about Carolina’s offense; their two TD drives were only 42-28 yards. Total yardage was 287-217; Panthers were 7-13 on third down- they didn’t score on any of their drives that started 75+ yards from the goal line, but scored two TD’s, kicked three FG’s on the other five drives that started less than 75 yards from the goal line.

Cowboys 19, Giants 3— Dallas outgained Giants 392-233; New York ran ball only 12 times for 35 yards, converted only 4-12 on third down- their average starting field position was their own 16 yard line. Under is now 8-1 in Giants’ last nine road games; they are 5-10-2 vs spread in last 17 games as a road underdog. Cowboys converted 8-15 on third down, had a 13-yard edge in average starting field position.

[StarDust Bum]

wnba playoff record:

09/10/2017 0-4-0 0.00% -2200
09/06/2017 3-1-0 75.00% +950

totals............3 - 5..........37.50%.....-1250

[StarDust Bum]

Monday’s six-pack

Top six picks in the Week 1 of the Westgate SuperContest in Las Vegas:

6) Pittsburgh Steelers -8.5 , 706- L

5) Arizona Cardinals -2, 742- L

4) Atlanta Falcons -6.5, 819- L

3) Tennessee Titans -2.5, 839- L

2) Houston Texans -5, 863- L

1) Cincinnati Bengals -2.5, 866- L (Season record: 0-6)

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Monday’s List of 13: Wrapping up an NFL Sunday

Chiefs 42, Patriots 27— Chiefs scored 28 second half points, ran up 537 yards, offsetting 139 penalty yards, as they made New England’s defense look slow. Only one of KC’s six TD drives was less than 75 yards- they had touchdown PLAYS of 75, 78 yards. Surprising result, but last three times New England lost in Week 1, they won the Super Bowl that year.

Bills 21, Jets 12— Buffalo sits alone atop AFC East, holding Jets to 38 rushing yards and 11 first downs. As far as team points over/unders go, my new hobby here, under is 18-7-1— only 7 of 26 teams exceeded their over/under points so far this week. Jets’ total was 15.5, 1.5 points lower than any other team this week.

Falcons 23, Bears 17— Chicago had ball on 10-yard line when game ended; two passes were either dropped/broken up inside 2-yard line in last three plays. Falcons coach Quinn was VERY happy when this game ended and he let it show— not sure happy is right word, maybe total relief after that Super Bowl and then an 0-4 preseason.

Jaguars 29, Texans 7— Upset of Day. Jacksonville ran ball for 155 yards, were +4 in turnovers, and held QB-challenged Houston to 203 yards. Savage was awful in first half; rookie QB Watson played second half, led one TD drive, but this was another very disappointing day in Houston.

Eagles 30, Redskins 17— Philly’s two TD drives were only 56-39 yards; each team scored a defensive TD, as Eagles snapped a 5-game skid against Washington. Iggles converted 8-14 on 3rd down, Redskins only 3-14, as Philly scored TD’s on two of first four drives, then kicked three FG’s on their last six drives.

Lions 35, Cardinals 23— On their first nine drives, Detroit had one TD, one FG, gaining total of 182 yards, but on their last three drives, Lions ran 17 plays for 149 yards and three TD’s. I have a question: is conditioning a factor early in the season? Teams haven’t played full games because coaches are scared of injuries, so when they have to play a full game in Week 1, are some teams in worse shape than others? Arizona’s defense looked very tired at the end.

Raiders 26, Titans 16— One of two games this week (Atl-Chi) with no turnovers. For the week so far, home teams are 7-6 vs spread; over is 3-10. Listening to TV Sunday, the consensus is that the defenses are ahead of offenses in the first couple weeks of the season. Offense takes more precision. Titans were 7-14 on 3rd down but scored only one TD, kicked three FG’s.

Ravens 20, Bengals 0— Baltimore led 3-0 at 2:00 warning of first half, then scored two TD’s in 0:24 span to break game open and lead 17-0 at half. Total yardage in lackluster game was 268-221 Baltimore; Ravens had 85 penalty yards, while Bengals turned ball over five times (-4). Flacco was 9-17/111 passing, after missing just about the whole summer with a bad back.

Steelers 21, Browns 18— Cleveland is now 1-18 in Week 1, with only win 13 years ago. Steelers blocked punt for TD on Browns’ first drive, then survived 144 penalty yards to win their opener. Pittsburgh ran 17 times for only 35 yards, which is not good; Big Ben targeted Brown 11 times, and he caught all 11 passes for 182 yards.

Rams 46, Colts 9— Indy has severe QB issues; if Andrew Luck can’t come back soon, and he hasn’t started practicing yet, they should sign Colin Kaepernick, who is way better than either Tolzien or Brissett. As for the Rams, this was a great day; Jared Goff looked like an NFL QB and the defense was dominant, even without Aaron Donald.

Packers 17, Seahawks 9— Game was scoreless until just before the half; this was 5th time in Seattle’s last nine road games that they scored 10 or less points. Rodgers was a magician on third down (9-16), as usual; Green Bay held Seahawks to 12 first downs as Seattle lost its 8th game in a row at Lambeau Field.

Panthers 23, 49ers 3— Hard to tell much about Carolina’s offense; their two TD drives were only 42-28 yards. Total yardage was 287-217; Panthers were 7-13 on third down- they didn’t score on any of their drives that started 75+ yards from the goal line, but scored two TD’s, kicked three FG’s on the other five drives that started less than 75 yards from the goal line.

Cowboys 19, Giants 3— Dallas outgained Giants 392-233; New York ran ball only 12 times for 35 yards, converted only 4-12 on third down- their average starting field position was their own 16 yard line. Under is now 8-1 in Giants’ last nine road games; they are 5-10-2 vs spread in last 17 games as a road underdog. Cowboys converted 8-15 on third down, had a 13-yard edge in average starting field position.

[StarDust Bum]

WNBA Playoff Capsules
September 13, 2017

LOS ANGELES (AP) Nneka Ogwumike scored 19 points to lead five starters in double figures, and the Los Angeles Sparks opened defense of their WNBA championship with a 79-66 victory over the Phoenix Mercury on Tuesday night in Game 1 of the semifinals.

Candace Parker added 15 points while playing with five fouls. Ogwumike overcame four fouls. Chelsea Gray had 13 points, Odyssey Sims 12 and Alana Beard 11.

Leilani Mitchell led the Mercury with 19 points and made five 3-pointers, both career playoff highs. Brittney Griner added 18 points before fouling out with 4:44 left in the game. Diana Taurasi went 2 of 10 from the floor for a career playoff low six points.

After trailing much of the first half, the Sparks pulled away in the third quarter, outscoring Phoenix 14-6 to lead 56-48.

Things got testy with 28 seconds left in the period. Phoenix's Emma Cannon and the Sparks' Essence Carson were called for double technicals after exchanging words. Before that, Phoenix's Camille Little was called for a blocking foul, with Parker on the floor with her legs in the air and her arms protecting her face.

LYNX 101, MYSTICS 81

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Seimone Augustus scored 24 points and Sylvia Fowles added 18 to help the Lynx roll to a victory over the Mystics in Game 1 of the WNBA semifinals.

Augustus made 11 of 17 shots and the Lynx looked plenty sharp after a week off and playing in an unfamiliar arena. The Lynx will play all of their playoff games at the University of Minnesota's Williams Arena after playing the regular season at Xcel Energy Center, home of the Minnesota Wild.

Elena Delle Donne had 17 points for the Mystics, who had a quick turnaround after beating the Liberty in New York on Sunday. After setting a playoff record with nine 3-pointers in the victory over New York on Sunday, Mystics guard Kristi Toliver scored just three points on 1-for-7 shooting.

[StarDust Bum]

SCHEDULE FOR THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 14, 2017
Time (ET) Away Home Site
8:00 PM Washington Mystics Minnesota Lynx Xcel Energy Center
10:00 PM Phoenix Mercury Los Angeles Sparks Staples Center

SCHEDULE FOR SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 17, 2017
Time (ET) Away Home Site
3:00 PM Minnesota Lynx Washington Mystics Verizon Center
5:00 PM Los Angeles Sparks Phoenix Mercury Talking Stick Resort Arena

SCHEDULE FOR TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 19, 2017
Time (ET) Away Home Site
12:00 PM Minnesota Lynx Washington Mystics Verizon Center
3:00 PM Los Angeles Sparks Phoenix Mercury Talking Stick Resort Arena

Updated Wed Sep 13 1:04 AM EDT


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wnba playoff record:

09/12/2017 3-1-0 75.00% +950
09/10/2017 0-4-0 0.00% -2200
09/06/2017 3-1-0 75.00% +950

totals...............6 - 6..........50.00%.....-3.00

[StarDust Bum]

Wednesday’s six-pack

NFL trends for Week 2:

— Houston is 1-8 in last nine games as a non-divisional road dog.

— Indianapolis covered 10 of last 12 tries as a home underdog.

— Cleveland is 6-19 vs spread in last 25 games as an underdog.

— Arizona is 3-9 vs spread in its last 12 games.

— Falcons are 4-13 vs spread in last 17 games as a home favorite.

— Detroit is 4-9 in last 13 games as a non-divisional road dog.

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

13) Baseball is cool because odd things sometimes happen; Monday night/Tuesday morning’s Dodger-Giant game was nothing if not odd.

There was a 42-minute rain delay at the start, then the game began, the Dodgers’ leadoff hitter struck out and then the rains came again, forcing a rain delay of 2:52.

The game resumed at about 1:55am here in the east; it ended around 5am. Thats 5 in the morning.

12) Pablo Sandoval was in a 1 for 47 slump when he singled to left in the 6th inning very late Monday night, or at roughly 4am Tuesday morning here in the east.

11) Indians were -$500 against Detroit Tuesday; I’ve never seen a baseball line that high.

10) Only nine out of over 2,000 people went 5-0 in the first week of the SuperContest at the Westgate SuperBook in Las Vegas. Denver was -3 in the contest, so anyone who had that game got a push.

9) Charger-Bronco game Monday night was only Week 1 NFL game where no points were scored in the last 2:00 of either half.

8) All four NFC North teams covered the spread in Week 1, only division that can say that.

7) Dolphins are practicing in Oxnard, CA at the Cowboys’ training camp facility this week, as they prepare to play the Chargers Sunday. Has to be a very strange week for them.

6) Yasiel Puig’s platoon splits this year:
vs lefty pitchers: .162, one HR, 8 RBI, 105 AB
vs righty pitchers: .286, 24 HR, 58 RBI, 343 AB

Very odd for a right-handed hitter like Puig.

5) Tennessee started their game Sunday by trying an onside kick, the first team to try that since the Vikings in 2009. Neither onside kick worked.

4) 2018 baseball schedules were released Tuesday. Opening Day is Thursday, March 29— for the first time since 1968, every team will play on Opening Day.

3) A’s play the White Sox at home on April 17; the game is free for all fans— it marks the 50th anniversary of the A’s first game in Oakland, after they moved from Kansas City.

2) Milwaukee Brewers will find out early next season if they’re going to contend; they play 14 games in April against the Cubs/Cardinals.

1) Seattle Mariners play 18 road games next April; their schedule is usually more cumbersome because of their being in the Pacific Northwest, but 18 road games in April is tough.

[StarDust Bum]

Thursday’s six-pack

NFL trends for Week 2:

— Tampa Bay is 1-8 vs spread in last nine games as a home favorite.

— Oakland covered seven of last ten games when favored.

— 49ers are 5-10 vs spread in last 15 games as a road underdog.

— Minnesota Vikings are 13-6 in last 19 games as a road dog.

— Jets are 1-5-1 vs spread in last seven games as a road underdog.

— Green Bay covered just three of last 12 gamed when getting points on the road.

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Thursday’s List of 13: Doing some thinking out loud……

13) Houston Texans played terribly in their opener; now news that LB Brian Cushing is out for 10 weeks due to a PED suspension and things just got a little more depressing for the Texans.

12) Apparently the Denver Broncos lost interest in drafting Dak Prescott last year when he missed the flight to come visit the team after the NFL Combine. Prescott showed up later that night but you only get one chance to make a first impression. Denver drafted Paxton Lynch instead, a subplot to Sunday’s game at Mile High Stadium.

11) Marlins-Brewers series, scheduled for Miami this weekend, has been moved to Miller Park in Milwaukee as hurricane cleanup efforts continue in south Florida.

There is still no power at the Marlins’ TV studio in Miami.

10) Tuesday night in Philly, Giancarlo Stanton threw out a runner at second base, a runner at third base and another at home plate— that would’ve been the game-winning run. That was the first time an outfielder has thrown out runners and 2B, 3B and home in the same game since Dale Murphy of the Braves did it in 1991, also in Philadelphia.

9) The All-Star break isn’t the halfway mark of the season anymore; next year, the Orioles will play 98 games before the All-Star break. With the season starting in late March now to allow for four more off days per team, the halfway point in terms of games will be in June.

8) Cubs and Cardinals won’t like this; the All-Star break is four days for 28 teams, but these two teams play on Thursday, July 19, making their All-Star break only three days. That game will be the first of seven games in 11 days between Cubs/Cardinals.

All-Star Game is in Washington next summer.

7) Indians-Twins are playing a two-game series in Puerto Rico April 17-18. Figures to be a little warmer in San Juan than Minneapolis in April.

6) San Francisco Giants will open on the road in Los Angeles next year; it’ll be the 9th year in a row the Giants are opening the season on the road.

5) This guy Rhys Hoskins looks like the real deal for the Phillies; he has plate discipline, takes his walks and his power definitely plays in the Phillies’ small home ballpark. He is a keeper.

4) Dodger reliever Brandon Morrow appeared in his 39th game Tuesday night; if he appears in one more game, he nets himself a $250,000 bonus.

3) Indians 5, Tigers 3— Cleveland won its 21st straight game, but Detroit’s catcher/manager were both tossed in the 3rd inning for bitching about balls/strikes with plate umpire Quinn Wolcott, who had been squeezing pitcher Buck Farmer on balls/strikes early in the game.

Soon after play resumed after the ejections, new catcher John Hicks completely missed catching a Farmer pitch— the ball drilled Wolcott near the collarbone.

Immediately, Indians’ TV guys insinuated Hicks had missed the ball on purpose, so it would hit Wolcott. Only Hicks knows for sure.

2) They listed the attendance in Cleveland Wednesday as 29,346; looked a lot more crowded than that— people were still waiting outside to get in the ballpark in the second inning.

Their crowd of 24,000+ Tuesday night was disappointing, considering how great the Indians have been playing, but it seemed like Wednesday, everyone took the afternoon off from work and came out to the ballpark.

1) By the way, as an A’s fan, congrats to the Indians on this great streak. 2002 was so much fun for me, as the A’s found a way to win 20 games in a row at just about this same point of the season. Hope it translates to postseason success in Cleveland.

Maybe somebody will make a movie about them.

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Mystics (18-16) at Lynx (27-7)
Date: September 14, 2017 8:00 PM EDT

The Minnesota Lynx threw a haymaker in Game 1 of the WNBA semifinals.

To have a fighting chance, the Washington Mystics will need to find some answers for Game 2 on Thursday at Williams Arena in Minneapolis.

"They punched first," Mystics star Elena Delle Donne told the (Minneapolis) Star Tribune after the Lynx shot nearly 60 percent from the field. "Now we have to figure out a way to respond."

Minnesota was even better from long distance, making 70 percent of its 3-point attempts.

"We got bombarded," Washington coach Mike Thibault said. "Every time I turned around the ball was going through the net."

The Mystics tried double- and triple-teaming Minnesota center Sylvia Fowles in the first half.

It didn't work, as Fowles made 7 of 12 shots.

In the third quarter, the Lynx spread things around.

Seimone Augustus had 11 of her game-high 24 points in the third, and Renee Montgomery made three 3-pointers as the Lynx built a 28-point lead.

"Obviously, we made shots," Minnesota coach Cheryl Reeve said. "When you make shots, everything is good."

Minnesota made 13 straight baskets during a stretch that started midway through the second quarter and was 12-for-18 from the field during the third.

"We need to find a way to break their rhythm," Thibault said. "If they shoot like that, it will be a quick series."

To avoid an early exit, the Mystics will need more from Kristi Toliver.

Toliver, who scored 32 points and set a WNBA record with nine 3-pointers in Washington's second-round win at New York, was held to three points on 1-for-7 shooting.

Thibault found something else missing with his team: fun.

"You need a balance of being aggressive and playing really hard," the coach told The Washington Post, "but there's also a sense that you're playing with house money, too. Hey, we're here because we worked hard to get here, go have fun playing. Enjoy it. There's no need to be tight, the pressure is on them, not us. No one expects us to win. Except us."

Thibault asked his team to embrace their underdog role.

"Last night I saw a rested Minnesota team and a team, us, that was kind of -- I'll say, reactive instead of proactive," Thibault said Wednesday after practice. "It's not a good way to play a team like that. When you're the underdog, you've got to be more of a disruptor, and we didn't disrupt too much. We need to be more aggressive in our approach to the game, try to dictate a little bit more on the defensive end what we want them to do."

Despite being overwhelmed in Game 1, the Mystics know they can tip the series scales in Game 2.

"If we can get one game here in Minnesota before we go home -- it ups our chances," Washington guard Natasha Cloud told the Post. "That's our focus, to just go in and play like we have nothing to lose. Because we don't, we're the underdog, and that's always a good position to be in."

The series will shift to Washington for Game 3 on Sunday.


WNB HEAD TO HEAD

Sep 12, 2017 Score ATS Results
WAS 81 Over: 182
MIN « 101 Cover: 9.5
Tools: Recaps

Sep 3, 2017 Score ATS Results
WAS 72 Under: 158
MIN « 86 Cover: 3
Tools: Recaps

Jun 23, 2017 Score ATS Results
WAS 76 Over: 169
MIN « 93 Cover: 7.5
Tools: Recaps

Jun 9, 2017 Score ATS Results
MIN « 98 Cover: 17
WAS 73 Over: 171
Tools: Recaps

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Mercury (18-16) at Sparks (26-8)
Date: September 14, 2017 10:00 PM EDT

The look on Candace Parker's face early on Tuesday showed the pain she felt with every step as she tried to play with an injured ankle. Grimacing and muttering under her breath, Parker gutted it out and showed the heart of a lioness.

By the fourth quarter the grimace turned to a smile. That's what winning can do -- make the pain go away.

Champions overcome adversity -- that's what makes them champions, and a little luck.

Parker and the Los Angeles Sparks will hope their luck holds out when they host the Phoenix Mercury in Game 2 on Thursday.

On Tuesday, Los Angeles didn't need any luck to beat Phoenix in Game 1 of their best-of-5 series. After a sluggish first half, the Sparks clamped down on defense and pulled away for a 79-66 win.

"It went just like I thought it would -- you've got champions over there," Sparks coach Brian Agler told the Daily Breeze after the game. "You've got two players (Brittney Griner and Diana Taurasi) that are going to be Hall of Famers and well-coached. It's going to be physical, that's going to be part of the nature of this series."

As expected, the game was physical with 26 fouls called on the Mercury and 20 on the Sparks. Three technical fouls also were called.

Unexpected was Parker's bad luck and freak injury. During the pregame shootaround, Los Angeles' leader rolled her ankle, placing her availability in immediate doubt. She went into the locker room and was heavily taped.

Typical of a champion, Parker didn't fall back and blame her injury for the Sparks' slow start. "I've been battle-tested my whole career with injuries. This was nothing new."

The focal point of the Sparks' offense also would play a crucial role in trying to contain Griner -- the regular-season scoring champ. No one stops Griner, you just try to limit the damage.

And Griner had her way in the first half, scoring 14 points. Along with Leilani Mitchell, the Mercury controlled the physical first quarter. Despite traveling more than 13 hours on Monday to get to Los Angeles from Connecticut after beating the Sun to advance to the semifinals, Phoenix looked the fresher of the two.

"I thought we fought hard," Mercury coach Sandy Brondello told the Arizona Republic. "It was a hard-fought game. For the most part, we executed. They just had too many options to score. We just have to play with a little more poise and get open."

The Sparks weathered the early storm and came out in the second half a different team.

"We thought they were real comfortable offensively so I felt we needed to up our intensity a bit, try to create some opportunity for our offense," Agler said. "I think we did create a couple turnovers, got layups, and sort of got going."

Sort of?

The defense turned the game around as the Sparks held the Mercury to six third-quarter points. In the middle was Defensive Player of the Year Alana Beard, who harassed Taurasi into a 2-for-10 shooting night and only six points -- a playoff career low for the league's all-time leading scorer.

"I think people are just now realizing how scary good she is," Parker said of Beard. "It's not necessarily all the things that show up in the stats sheet that makes you a good defender. It's all those intangible things that Alana does naturally."

And all those little things were on display against Taurasi.

"The way she competes every single day, every single possession. It's a little bit of a lost art," Taurasi told Swish Appeal. "There's no one you would pick to go into games, or try to win a playoff series or a championship game with other than Alana, because she's the glue that makes these teams really, really good. It's her grind and her grit that reflect at the end of the game."

Still, the key to the Sparks will be Parker's ankle. She has less than 48 hours to receive treatment and see some improvement

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WNB HEAD TO HEAD

Sep 12, 2017 Score ATS Results
PHO 66 Under: 145
LOS « 79 Cover: 4.5
Tools: Recaps

Aug 24, 2017 Score ATS Results
LOS « 82 Cover: 9
PHO 67 Under: 149
Tools: Recaps

Jun 18, 2017 Score ATS Results
PHO 59 Under: 149
LOS « 90 Cover: 23.5
Tools: Recaps

Jun 10, 2017 Score ATS Results
LOS « 89 Cover: 2
PHO 87 Over: 176
Tools: Recaps

[StarDust Bum]

SIZE=4]WNBA Cheat Sheet - Semifinals[/SIZE]

The WNBA semifinals began with Game 1’s on Tuesday with four teams looking to advance in the postseason. These series will be best-of-five matchups and so will the WNBA Finals.

Game 2’s will take place on Thursday before the clubs travel and play Game 3’s on Sunday.

If necessary, Game 4 and 5’s will take place the following week on Tuesday Sept. 19 and Thursday Sept. 21. ESPN2 will provide national coverage of the matchups.

(1) Minnesota vs. (6) Washington

-- Washington (20-16) defeated Dallas 86-76 in the first round as a 6 ½-point home favorite last Wednesday.

-- The Mystics followed up that victory with an impressive 82-68 win at New York this past Sunday as a six-point road underdog. Washington cashed money-line tickets at plus-210 (Bet $100 to win $210).

-- Including those results, Washington has gone 3-2 SU and 4-1 ATS in its last five playoff contests.

-- The ‘under’ cashed in both of their first two playoff games this year.

-- The Mystics are 11-7 at home this season and 8-10 on the road, which includes the playoff results.

-- Against the Western Conference, Washington went 7-12 SU and 6-13 ATS.

-- Minnesota (27-7) finished the regular season with the best record in the WNBA and that record wasn’t surprising to the oddsmakers, who had the club favored in all but one of their games.

-- The Lynx went 15-2 SU and 8-9 ATS at home. The Lynx were a double-digit favorite 12 times and they went 5-7 ATS in those spots.

-- On the road, Minnesota was 12-5 SU and 10-7 ATS. It did struggle as a visitor down the stretch, going 3-3 SU and 2-4 ATS while the ‘under’ was 5-1.

-- Minnesota went 14-4 SU and 10-8 ATS versus the Eastern Conference this season and three of the losses took place on the road.

-- Minnesota and Washington met three times in the regular season and the Lynx won and covered all of the games rather easily. All of the results were decided by double digits (14, 17, 25) between the pair.

-- The ‘over’ went 2-1 and the Lynx scored 98, 93 and 86 points.

-- Since the 2013 playoffs, Minnesota has gone 21-8 in the postseason and it’s had a solid rate of covering with a 16-11-2 record versus the spread.

(2) Los Angeles vs. (5) Phoenix

-- Phoenix (20-16) started the postseason with a pair of single-elimination victories. The Mercury stifled Seattle 79-69 last Wednesday before capturing an 88-83 win over Connecticut.

-- Including those wins, the Mercury have won and covered their last five games entering this series.

-- Total bettors should note that the ‘under’ has gone 5-1 in the last six games for Phoenix.

-- The Mercury have gone 10-8 SU and 11-7 ATS on the road this season. At home, Phoenix has posted very similar numbers – 10-8 SU, 8-10 ATS.

-- Los Angeles (26-8) was a beast at the Staples Center during the regular season, going 17-1 and the club helped bettors with a 12-6 record (67%) versus the number as well. The one loss came by two points.

-- Clubs had trouble scoring at L.A. this season (70.2 PPG) and total bettors saw the ‘under’ go 14-4 in its home games.

-- As visitors, the Sparks showed some flaws as they went 10-7 both SU and ATS. They did close the season with three straight wins on the road and the offense posted 95, 115 and 82 points during that stretch.

-- The Sparks won and covered all three encounters against the Mercury this season and two of the wins came on the road. In the lone home meeting, Los Angeles blasted Phoenix 90-59 as a 7 ½-point favorite. The ‘under’ went 2-1.

-- Including those results, Los Angeles is 7-3 SU and 7-2-1 ATS in the last 10 head-to-head meetings against Phoenix.

-- During last year’s championship run, Los Angeles went 6-3 both SU and ATS. Future bettors should note that the WNBA hasn’t had a repeat champion since 2002 when the Sparks captured back-to-back titles.

[StarDust Bum]

WNBA
Long Sheet

Thursday, September 14

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WASHINGTON (20 - 17) at MINNESOTA (28 - 7) - 9/14/2017, 8:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
WASHINGTON is 311-370 ATS (-96.0 Units) in all games since 1997.
WASHINGTON is 1-13 ATS (-13.3 Units) as an underdog this season.
WASHINGTON is 48-72 ATS (-31.2 Units) in road games in August or September games since 1997.
WASHINGTON is 6-14 ATS (-9.4 Units) against Western conference opponents this season.
WASHINGTON is 6-14 ATS (-9.4 Units) in non-conference games this season.
WASHINGTON is 5-14 ATS (-10.4 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent this season.
WASHINGTON is 3-12 ATS (-10.2 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
MINNESOTA is 11-2 ATS (+8.8 Units) in home games in August or September games over the last 2 seasons.
MINNESOTA is 23-13 ATS (+8.7 Units) after a non-conference game over the last 2 seasons.
MINNESOTA is 6-0 ATS (+6.0 Units) in the conference finals over the last 3 seasons.
MINNESOTA is 26-14 ATS (+10.6 Units) after allowing 75 points or more over the last 2 seasons.
MINNESOTA is 17-8 ATS (+8.2 Units) in home games versus poor defensive teams - allowing 77+ points/game after 15+ games over the last 2 seasons.
MINNESOTA is 15-8 ATS (+6.2 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 77+ points/game this season.
MINNESOTA is 16-30 ATS (-17.0 Units) after playing 3 consecutive home games since 1997.

Head-to-Head Series History
WASHINGTON is 5-4 against the spread versus MINNESOTA over the last 3 seasons
MINNESOTA is 6-3 straight up against WASHINGTON 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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PHOENIX (20 - 17) at LOS ANGELES (27 - 8) - 9/14/2017, 10:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
PHOENIX is 22-41 ATS (-23.1 Units) as a road underdog of 6.5 to 9 points since 1997.
PHOENIX is 0-6 ATS (-6.6 Units) in the conference finals over the last 3 seasons.
LOS ANGELES is 23-12 ATS (+9.8 Units) in all games this season.
LOS ANGELES is 21-11 ATS (+8.9 Units) as a favorite this season.
LOS ANGELES is 13-5 ATS (+7.5 Units) in home games this season.
LOS ANGELES is 13-5 ATS (+7.5 Units) in a home game where where the total is greater than or equal to 150 this season.
LOS ANGELES is 10-2 ATS (+7.8 Units) in August or September games this season.
LOS ANGELES is 12-4 ATS (+7.6 Units) after a division game this season.
LOS ANGELES is 10-2 ATS (+7.8 Units) after 3 or more consecutive unders this season.
LOS ANGELES is 12-5 ATS (+6.5 Units) after a win by 10 points or more this season.
LOS ANGELES is 11-2 ATS (+8.8 Units) after 3 or more consecutive wins this season.
LOS ANGELES is 11-3 ATS (+7.7 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
LOS ANGELES is 7-1 ATS (+5.9 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record after 15+ games this season.
LOS ANGELES is 13-5 ATS (+7.5 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 77+ points/game after 15+ games this season.
LOS ANGELES is 17-9 ATS (+7.1 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 77+ points/game this season.
LOS ANGELES is 13-5 ATS (+7.5 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 77+ points/game after 15+ games this season.
LOS ANGELES is 17-8 ATS (+8.2 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 77+ points/game this season.
PHOENIX is 7-0 ATS (+7.0 Units) in road games after a division game this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
LOS ANGELES is 8-2 against the spread versus PHOENIX over the last 3 seasons
LOS ANGELES is 8-3 straight up against PHOENIX over the last 3 seasons
7 of 10 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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WNBA

Thursday, September 14

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Trend Report
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8:00 PM
WASHINGTON vs. MINNESOTA
Washington is 3-8 ATS in its last 11 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Washington's last 7 games when playing on the road against Minnesota
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Minnesota's last 5 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Minnesota's last 7 games when playing at home against Washington

10:00 PM
PHOENIX vs. LOS ANGELES
Phoenix is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Phoenix's last 5 games when playing on the road against Los Angeles
Los Angeles is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Los Angeles's last 5 games when playing at home against Phoenix


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WNBA
Dunkel

Thursday, September 14

Washington @ Minnesota

Game 689-690
September 14, 2017 @ 8:05 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Washington
110.704
Minnesota
123.488
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Minnesota
by 13
167
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Minnesota
by 10 1/2
163 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Minnesota
(-10 1/2); Over

Phoenix @ Los Angeles

Game 691-692
September 14, 2017 @ 10:05 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Phoenix
110.731
Los Angeles
124.508
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Los Angeles
by 14
159
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Los Angeles
by 9 1/2
155
Dunkel Pick:
Los Angeles
(-9 1/2); Over

[StarDust Bum]

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 14

GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

WAS at MIN 08:00 PM

MIN -10.0

U 164.0

PHO at LA 10:00 PM

LA -9.5

U 155.5

[StarDust Bum]

WNBA Playoff Capsules
September 15, 2017

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) Newly crowned MVP Sylvia Fowles scored 25 points to lead the Minnesota Lynx to a 93-83 victory over the Washington Mystics in Game 2 of the WNBA semifinals Thursday night.

Fowles made 12 of 16 shots and the Lynx shot 51 percent from the floor to take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five series. Maya Moore had 22 points and five assists, and Rebekkah Brunson added 11 points and 10 rebounds in a back-and-forth game at the University of Minnesota's Williams Arena.

Elena Delle Donne and Kristi Toliver each scored 25 points for the Mystics. Washington led by two with five minutes to go, but was outscored 20-8 the rest of the way.

Game 3 is Sunday in Washington.

Fowles was given the MVP trophy about two hours before tipoff, accepting it in a tearful press conference as she reflected on 10 years in the league.

SPARKS 86, MERCURY 72

LONG BEACH, Calif. (AP) - Candace Parker had 24 points and 13 rebounds - showing no effects of an ankle injury - to help Los Angeles beat Phoenix in Game 2 of the WNBA semifinal series.

Parker injured her ankle in the warmups before the Sparks' Game 1 victory, but she still played in that game and returned to her usual form in Game 2 the Pyramid.

The defending champion Sparks have won nine games in a row and can sweep the best-of-five series Sunday in Arizona.

Nneka Ogwumike added 18 points and nine rebounds for Los Angeles. Diana Taurasi led Phoenix with 19 points, and Brittney Griner had 16 points.

[StarDust Bum]

SCHEDULE FOR SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 17, 2017
Time (ET) Away Home Site
3:00 PM Minnesota Lynx Washington Mystics Verizon Center
5:00 PM Los Angeles Sparks Phoenix Mercury Talking Stick Resort Arena

SCHEDULE FOR TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 19, 2017
Time (ET) Away Home Site
8:00 PM Minnesota Lynx Washington Mystics Verizon Center
10:00 PM Los Angeles Sparks Phoenix Mercury Talking Stick Resort Arena

SCHEDULE FOR THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 21, 2017
Time (ET) Away Home Site
8:00 PM Washington Mystics Minnesota Lynx Xcel Energy Center
10:00 PM Phoenix Mercury Los Angeles Sparks Staples Center

Updated Fri Sep 15 2:04 AM EDT


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wnba playoff record:

09/14/2017 1-2-1 33.33% -6.00
09/12/2017 3-1-0 75.00% +950
09/10/2017 0-4-0 0.00% -2200
09/06/2017 3-1-0 75.00% +950

totals...........7 - 8 - 1.........46.66%.....-9.00

[StarDust Bum]

WNBA Playoff Capsules
September 17, 2017

PHOENIX (AP) Candace Parker's driving layup with 2.9 seconds to play gave the Los Angeles Sparks an 89-87 win and three-game sweep of the Phoenix Mercury in the WNBA semifinals Sunday.

Parker finished with 21 points and 11 assists.

Brittney Griner missed a shot as time expired and the Sparks celebrated with shouts and embraces in front of their bench.

Odyssey Sims scored 22 points on 9-of-12 shooting. Chelsea Gray added 14 points for the defending champion Sparks, who advanced to their second straight WNBA Finals and fifth overall. They will face Minnesota in a rematch of last year's championship, after the Lynx completed a sweep of Washington earlier Sunday.

Diana Taurasi had tied the game at 87 with a 3-pointer from the wing with 10.8 seconds left.

LYNX 81, MYSTICS 70

WASHINGTON (AP) - Maya Moore scored 21 points, Sylvia Fowles added 17 points and 14 rebounds, and the Lynx completed a sweep of the Mystics in the best-of-three WNBA semifinals.

Seimone Augustus added 18 points as Minnesota secured its third consecutive finals appearance and sixth in seven seasons. The Lynx will attempt to win their fourth WNBA title in seven years.

Elena Delle Donne scored 15 points to lead the Mystics, who exit the playoffs after reaching the semifinals for the first time since 2002.

Tierra Ruffin-Pratt added 14 points and Kristi Tolliver had 13 for Washington, which forced the Lynx into a series-high 13 turnovers.

But the Mystics scored only 31 second-half points in their sixth loss in as many games against Minnesota in 2017, including regular season and playoffs.