Cnotes 2018 wnba picks,trends,notes,news !

[StarDust Bum]

WNBA Betting Recap - 7/9-7/15
July 17, 2018

League Betting Notes (Monday, July 9 through Sunday, July 15)

-- Favorites went 9-8 straight up (SU)
-- Underdogs went 8-9 against the spread (ATS)
-- Road teams went 10-7 SU
-- Road teams went 11-6 ATS
-- The 'over/under' went 8-8-1

Team Betting Notes

-- Atlanta (12-9) is playing its best basketball of the season, rattling off four consecutive victories and covers for bettors. The offense has come alive during the impressive stretch, averaging 90.0 points per game (PPG) during the impressive span. The 'over' is also an impressive 6-2 across the past eight outings.

-- Chicago (7-15) continues to tumble down the standings, as they have lost and failed to cover in three in a row, while losing six of their past seven games straight-up. In addition, the 'under' is 4-1 in the past five games.

-- It was a bounce-back week for Connecticut (12-10), as the picked up impressive wins at home against Phoenix (15-8) and on the road against Minnesota (12-10). The cover as 3 1/2-point underdogs against the Lynx snapped an 0-4 ATS skid.

-- Dallas (12-9) saw their season-best five-game winning streak snapped in Seattle (16-6), but there's no shame losing to the team with the league's best record. The Wings also saw their impressive 5-0 ATS streak snapped. Total bettors continue to be big fans of the Storm, as the 'over' is 9-2-1 across the past 12 contets.

-- The lost season continues for Indiana (2-20), as they endured their 20th straight-up loss of the season at home against the Mercury on Sunday. Not only have the Fever dropped four in a row, they are 0-4 ATS during the span, too. They're just 1-8 ATS across the past nine, too.

-- Las Vegas (10-13) saw their franchise-best four-game winning streak snapped in a big way by Los Angeles (14-9), falling 99-78 at home. The Aces started out a bit slow this season, but they are a respectable 9-6 SU across the past 15 games while going 10-7 ATS across the past 17.

-- The Sparks have been struggling with consistency, failing to win back-to-back games since June 24-26. That's very unlike L.A. In fact, they're just 3-6 SU across the past nine while going 3-7 ATS in the past 10.

-- The Lynx have been uncharacteristically weak, dropping consecutive games at home to the Aces and Sun. Their margin of loss is 13.5 PPG, so they are far from elite right now and just barely scraping by at two games above .500. One thing that has been consistent is the 'under', going 4-0 in the past four, and 6-1 across the past seven.

-- The Mercury slapped the brakes on a three-game losing skid, getting well in Indiana as 9 1/2-point favorites over the weekend. The 'over' has hit in each of their past three outings, and they have covered in two straight, and six of the past eight.

-- The Storm have picked up victories in six of their past seven, going 5-1-1 ATS. Seattle has posted the best record in the WNBA thanks to an impressive offense. They have scored 87.1 PPG to rank second in the league in scoring, while hitting 46.7 percent of their field-goal attempts to rank first in the league.

-- Washington (13-9) continues to sit atop the Eastern Conference, and they have rattled off wins in six of their past seven. They're also 5-1-1 ATS during the impressive span.

[StarDust Bum]

WNBA
Dunkel

Tuesday, July 17


New York @ Dallas

Game 301-302
July 17, 2018 @ 2:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
New York
105.413
Dallas
118.042
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Dallas
by 12 1/2
171
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Dallas
by 9
168 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Dallas
(-9); Over

Atlanta @ Connecticut

Game 303-304
July 17, 2018 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Atlanta
106.931
Connecticut
116.624
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Connecticut
by 9 1/2
172
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Connecticut
by 7 1/2
167 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Connecticut
(-7 1/2); Over




WNBA

Tuesday, July 17

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Trend Report
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New York Liberty
New York is 5-10 ATS in its last 15 games
New York is 3-8 SU in its last 11 games
New York is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of New York's last 5 games on the road
New York is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Dallas
The total has gone OVER in 4 of New York's last 5 games when playing Dallas
New York is 1-6 ATS in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Dallas
New York is 5-18 SU in its last 23 games when playing on the road against Dallas
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of New York's last 5 games when playing on the road against Dallas

Dallas Wings
Dallas is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games
Dallas is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 9 of Dallas's last 12 games
Dallas is 8-2-1 ATS in its last 11 games at home
Dallas is 13-5 SU in its last 18 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Dallas's last 6 games at home
Dallas is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing New York
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Dallas's last 5 games when playing New York
Dallas is 6-1 ATS in its last 7 games when playing at home against New York
Dallas is 18-5 SU in its last 23 games when playing at home against New York
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Dallas's last 5 games when playing at home against New York


Atlanta Dream
Atlanta is 6-1 ATS in its last 7 games
Atlanta is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Atlanta's last 8 games
Atlanta is 6-11-1 ATS in its last 18 games on the road
Atlanta is 5-17 SU in its last 22 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Atlanta's last 5 games on the road
Atlanta is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games when playing Connecticut
Atlanta is 10-2 SU in its last 12 games when playing Connecticut
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Atlanta's last 7 games when playing Connecticut
Atlanta is 3-10 ATS in its last 13 games when playing on the road against Connecticut
Atlanta is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Connecticut

Connecticut Sun
Connecticut is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Connecticut's last 7 games
Connecticut is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games at home
Connecticut is 16-5 SU in its last 21 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Connecticut's last 11 games at home
Connecticut is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games when playing Atlanta
Connecticut is 2-10 SU in its last 12 games when playing Atlanta
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Connecticut's last 7 games when playing Atlanta
Connecticut is 10-3 ATS in its last 13 games when playing at home against Atlanta
Connecticut is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Atlanta

[StarDust Bum]

A look at potential WNBA All-Stars
July 17, 2018

NEW YORK (AP) The ballots have been cast and the WNBA is set to reveal its All-Stars.

The league will announce its 22 All-Stars on Tuesday night, including the two captains who will choose their teams. This season the WNBA also took conference affiliation out of the midseason game so potentially, although unlikely, all 22 players could be from one conference. The All-Stars will be selected through a combination of voting by fans (40 percent), current WNBA players and coaches (20 percent each) and a national panel of sports writers and broadcasters (20 percent).

Here's a look at who could be on the All-Star teams this year when the game is played in Minnesota on July 28:

GUARDS

Sue Bird, Storm - Averaging 7.1 assists a game. Imagine how many she could have in the All-Star Game.

DeWanna Bonner, Mercury - Has provided Phoenix with that third scoring option to take some of the pressure off Diana Taurasi and Brittney Griner.

Skylar Diggins-Smith, Wings - Having an incredible MVP-caliber season averaging 19.5 points and 6.5 assists. Her best season as a pro so far.

Chelsea Gray, Sparks - Putting up solid numbers and has constantly hit big shots.

Tiffany Hayes, Dream - Missed a few games with a foot injury, but still putting up strong numbers.

Jewell Loyd, Storm - Continues to develop as a player and is one of the game's bright young stars.

Kayla McBride, Aces - Provided an outside scoring threat for Bill Laimbeer and Las Vegas. Seems to have gotten better as season has gone along.

Allie Quigley, Sky - Shooting 42 percent from 3 this season and playing really well.

Diana Taurasi, Mercury - Is putting up one of her best seasons ever and looks to be in the best shape of her career.

Courtney Vandersloot, Sky - Leads the league with 7.7 assists a game and knows how to get the ball to players in the best position to score.

FORWARDS

Liz Cambage, Wings - Has left quite the impression so far in her return to the WNBA, dominating on both ends of the court.

Tina Charles, Liberty - Has become more comfortable shooting 3s this season making her more dangerous on the offensive end

Elena Delle Donne, Mystics - Just became the fastest player to reach 3,000 points in her career.

Sylvia Fowles, Lynx - Still one of the top post players in the game.

Brittney Griner, Mercury - One of the most dominant players on both ends of the court.

Natasha Howard, Storm - Has had a breakout year in Seattle now that's she starting after coming off the bench in Minnesota for a few years.

Maya Moore, Lynx - One of the best players in the league year in and year out.

Chiney Ogwumike, Sun - Came back strong so far this season from an Achilles injury that sidelined her all of last season.

Nneka Ogwumike, Sparks - Not far off her MVP form from a few years ago.

Candace Parker, Sparks - Narrowly missed a triple-double in her last game and could put up those types of numbers in any game.

Breanna Stewart, Storm - Front-runner for MVP at the midway point of the season and seems to be only getting better each year.

A'ja Wilson, Aces - Has taken the league by storm in her rookie year, putting up incredible numbers.

[StarDust Bum]

WNBA
Long Sheet

Tuesday, July 17

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NEW YORK (7 - 14) at DALLAS (12 - 9) - 7/17/2018, 1:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
NEW YORK is 2-8 ATS (-6.8 Units) against Western conference opponents this season.
NEW YORK is 2-8 ATS (-6.8 Units) in non-conference games this season.
DALLAS is 14-7 ATS (+6.3 Units) in all games this season.
DALLAS is 14-7 ATS (+6.3 Units) in May, June, or July games this season.
DALLAS is 19-10 ATS (+8.0 Units) after a division game over the last 2 seasons.
DALLAS is 11-4 ATS (+6.6 Units) after allowing 75 points or more this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
DALLAS is 4-4 against the spread versus NEW YORK over the last 3 seasons
NEW YORK is 6-2 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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ATLANTA (12 - 9) at CONNECTICUT (12 - 10) - 7/17/2018, 7:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
ATLANTA is 6-16 ATS (-11.6 Units) in road games after a division game over the last 3 seasons.
CONNECTICUT is 139-106 ATS (+22.4 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent since 1997.
ATLANTA is 18-7 ATS (+10.3 Units) in road games on Tuesday since 1997.
ATLANTA is 9-1 ATS (+7.9 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
CONNECTICUT is 5-12 ATS (-8.2 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 77+ points/game this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
ATLANTA is 5-4 against the spread versus CONNECTICUT over the last 3 seasons
ATLANTA is 7-2 straight up against CONNECTICUT over the last 3 seasons
6 of 9 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

[StarDust Bum]

TUESDAY, JULY 17
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

ATL at CONN 07:00 PM

ATL +7.0

U 169.0

[StarDust Bum]

Cambage scores WNBA-record 53 points
July 17, 2018

DALLAS (AP) Elizabeth Cambage scored 53 points to set a WNBA record Tuesday, leading the Dallas Wings to a 104-87 victory over the New York Liberty.

The 6-foot-8 Australian reached 50 points on a three-point play with 2:19 remaining and broke Riquna Williams' WNBA record of 51 points, set Sept. 8, 2013, on an open 3-pointer from the top of the key.

''It's pretty big,'' Cambage said. ''I've had big numbers in China, I've had big numbers in Australia, and I've heard a lot of people say I could never have big numbers here in the WNBA. So I guess this game is for y'all.''

Cambage was 17 of 22 from the field with 10 rebounds and five blocks for her ninth double-double of the season. She made 15 of 16 free throws and outscored the Liberty's starting lineup by 10 points.

Glory Johnson and Allisha Gray each added 13 points for Dallas (13-9), which won its first home game against New York since 2016.

Dallas coach Fred Williams was ejected with 1:44 remaining in the third quarter. New York took its first lead, 70-69, on the next possession, but Dallas opened the fourth quarter on a 12-3 run and cruised from there.

Kia Nurse scored 25 points, including four 3-pointers, and Tina Charles added 19 for New York. The Liberty (7-15) had won their previous two games.

Cambage had 28 points in the first half to send the Wings to a 57-44 lead. She added five points in the third quarter and broke her previous high of 37 points on a three-point play with 7:29 remaining. She finished 4 of 5 from 3-point range.

Cambage returned to the Dallas franchise after sitting out the past four years. She was drafted by Tulsa with the second pick in 2011 behind Maya Moore.

Moore is third in the WNBA for most points in a game, scoring 48 in a double-overtime game in 2014. Phoenix's Diana Taurasi had 47 points in a three-OT game in 2006.


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Hayes sinks half-court shot at buzzer in Dream's win
July 17, 2018

UNCASVILLE, Conn. (AP) Tiffany Hayes sank a shot from beyond halfcourt at the buzzer to help the Atlanta Dream win their fifth straight game with an 86-83 victory over the Connecticut Sun on Tuesday night.

Connecticut's Alyssa Thomas made two free throws with 31.9 seconds remaining to tie it at 83. After an Atlanta miss and a tie-up, Connecticut inbounded it with 10.9 seconds left, but Hayes intercepted a pass in the corner, took two dribbles and swished the long winner .

Angel McCoughtry scored 24 points off the bench for Atlanta (13-9). Hayes finished with 18 points and Elizabeth Williams added 16.

Brittney Sykes hit a wide open 3-pointer to pull Atlanta to 79-75 and another miscue on the Sun's next possession led to McCoughtry's fast-break layup. McCoughtry tied it at 81 on a contested 3-pointer and Williams gave Atlanta its first lead since 2-0 on the Dream's next possession.

Jonquel Jones scored 10 of her 19 points in the second quarter for Connecticut (12-11). Rachel Banham added 15 points with three 3-pointers.

[StarDust Bum]

Delle Donne, Parker to captain WNBA All-Star Game
July 17, 2018

NEW YORK (AP) Elena Delle Donne and Candace Parker will captain the WNBA All-Star teams.

Maya Moore was the top vote-getter, but told the league she was unable to perform the captain duties giving Parker the chance as the third-place finisher in the voting done by fans, players, coaches and the media.

''I'm honored to be named captain and am excited to be joined by two of my teammates,'' Parker said. ''It should be fun and it's good to see the league mixing it up with the captain format.''

Parker and Delle Donne will draft players from the 20 other All-Stars who were announced Tuesday.

''I'm glad that Maya turned down her role so that I can have the first pick,'' Delle Donne said laughing in a phone interview with the AP. ''I've got everyone's name written down and their position. You can't pick wrong as you have really great players out there.''

Delle Donne wouldn't say who she's picking first, but did say that she feels loyalty to Mystics teammate Kristi Toliver to draft her.

''The one pick I will give away is that she will be on my team,'' she said.

Parker has two Sparks teammates in the pool with Nneka Ogwumike and Chelsea Gray.

Other players that Delle Donne and Parker can choose from include Sue Bird, who made a record 11th All-Star Game breaking a tie with Tamika Catchings for most all-time.

''Seventeen years ago, if you told me I'd be setting a new record with 11 All-Star appearances, I would have called you crazy,'' Bird said. ''It's a testament to my teammates and coaches throughout the years, and an absolute honor given all of the greats who have played in this league.''

Rookie A'ja Wilson will play in her first All-Star contest as well as Jewell Loyd. Dallas Wings center Liz Cambage will play in her second one. Earlier on Tuesday, she broke the WNBA single-game scoring record when she had 53 points against New York.

''That was incredible, it bumped her up the list for sure,'' Delle Donne said.

The WNBA took conference affiliation out of the midseason game and 16 of the 22 All-Stars were from the Western Conference. That group includes Diana Taurasi, Sylvia Fowles and Seimone Augustus. Fowles, Moore and Augustus will get a chance to play in front of their home fans as the All-Star Game is in Minnesota on July 28.

''It's going to be great,'' Phoenix coach Sandy Brondello said. ''There's so much talent out there, it's like coaching a USA Basketball team. It's going to be nice to coach some players that normally I don't get the chance to.''

Brondello, who will coach Australia in the women's basketball world cup in September, will be teamed with Parker.

Delle Donne's team will be led by Seattle coach Dan Hughes, who has guided the Storm to the league's best record.

The two captains will draft their teams on Wednesday. The two teams will be revealed on Thursday night. The draft won't be televised, which Delle Donne wasn't completely upset about.

''I'd like to get one year under my belt,'' she said. ''Wouldn't want to be put on blast with selections.''

Fans accounted for 40 percent of the vote, while current players, current head coaches and a media panel accounted for 20 percent each. Players were not allowed to vote for their teammates. Head coaches could not vote for players on their own team.

Moore was the leading vote-getter among fans (47,620). She was followed by Delle Donne (42,171), Parker (38,575), Bird (37,098) and Taurasi (35,687). Fans cast 44 percent more votes than they did last year (873,437 vs. 604,680).

Wilson was the only rookie to make the All-Star list and every team has at least one player in the game except for last-place Indiana.

[StarDust Bum]

Bentley back to Atlanta, happy for change
July 17, 2018

NEW YORK (AP) Alex Bentley is happy to be back in familiar surroundings following her surprising trade to Atlanta from Connecticut last week.

The former All-Star guard had spent the past five seasons with the Sun after getting traded there from Atlanta following her rookie season.

She'll get a chance to play against her former team on Tuesday night when the Dream visit the Sun. One story line to watch will be the interaction between Bentley and former teammate Courtney Williams.

A person familiar with the situation says the players had a physical altercation on the bus in Seattle at the beginning of the month. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the team has not publicly discussed the incident.

The Sun said Williams missed the Sun's west coast trip for personal reasons. She returned to the Connecticut lineup after Bentley was traded on July 9.

Bentley declined to comment on the incident, but said she is looking forward to her return to Connecticut.

''I have wonderful memories in Connecticut and great friends there,'' Bentley said in a phone interview. ''I'm grateful for my time there. But I'm happy for a chance to go back where I started my career and play for a coach I know well.''

Atlanta's coach Nicki Collen was an assistant with Connecticut before getting the Dream's head job this season. Bentley is playing a similar role in Atlanta as a vital player off the bench.

''I'm excited for the chance to help Atlanta out,'' Bentley said.

The Dream have won all three of their games since acquiring Bentley and moved up to sixth in Tuesday's AP power poll:

POWER POLL: A look at this week's WNBA poll:

1. Seattle (16-6): Storm have created a little space between themselves and the rest of the league. They have a big road trip looming heading into the All-Star break.

2. Phoenix (15-8): Mercury are still trying to adjust to life without Sancho Lyttle (knee). Phoenix finished off a disappointing four-game road trip with losses in Dallas and Connecticut before beating Indiana.

3. Los Angeles (14-9): Candace Parker has upped her game and the Sparks seem to have righted their problems. Parker just missed a triple-double in LA's win over Las Vegas on Sunday.

4. Washington (13-9): Mystics were swept in a home-and-home series with Atlanta, but still look like a contender for top playoff spot.

5. Dallas (12-9): Wings saw a five-game winning streak end in Seattle, but still are one of the rising teams in the league.

6. Atlanta (12-9): Finally healthy, the Dream are playing well lately with many offensive threats for coach Nicki Collen.

7. Connecticut (12-10): Quality wins over Phoenix and Minnesota have set the Sun up for a solid run down the stretch.

8. Minnesota (12-10): Losses at home to both Indiana and Las Vegas have left the Lynx with lots of questions.

9. Las Vegas (10-13): Aces are putting on quite a show in their first season in Las Vegas behind the stellar inside-outside combo of A'ja Wilson and Kayla McBride.

10. New York (7-14): Liberty tied the franchise record for points in a game with 107 against Chicago. Two wins in a row have given the New York a little momentum to make a postseason run.

11. Chicago (7-15): A three-game skid has left the Sky in danger of missing the postseason again.

12. Indiana (2-20): Veteran Cappie Pondexter has provided a lift for the Fever since they signed the guard.

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PLAYER OF THE WEEK:

Candace Parker averaged 25.3 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists to help the Sparks go 2-1 this week. Other players receiving votes were Jessica Breland, Kayla McBride and Skylar Diggins-Smith,

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MILESTONE:

Elena Delle Donne became the fastest player to reach 3,000 points this week when she did it in her 148th game, a loss to Atlanta on Sunday. The previous record-holders, Diana Taurasi and Seimone Augustus, needed 151 games.

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GAME OF THE WEEK

Storm at Sky, Wednesday. Seattle begins a five-game road swing in Chicago. The Storm make stops in Connecticut, Atlanta, Indiana and Phoenix after visiting the Windy City.

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[StarDust Bum]

SCHEDULE FOR WEDNESDAY JULY 18, 2018
Time (ET) Away Home Site
12:00 PM Seattle Storm Chicago Sky Wintrust Arena
1:00 PM Indiana Fever Minnesota Lynx Target Center


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WNBA JULY RECORD: OVERALL PICKS.

DATE W-L-T % UNITS RECORD

07/17/2018 1-0-1 100.00% +5.00
07/15/2018 2-8-0 20.00% -34.00
07/14/2018 0-2-0 0.00% -11.00
07/13/2018 4-4-0 50.00% -2.00
07/12/2018 2-0-0 100.00% +10.00
07/10/2018 4-2-0 66.67% +9.00
07/08/2018 1-4-1 20.00% -17.00
07/07/2018 2-4-0 33.33% -12.00
07/06/2018 1-1-0 50.00% -0.50
07/05/2018 3-4-1 42.86% -7.00
07/03/2018 5-3-0 62.50% +8.50
07/01/2018 3-7-0 30.00% -23.50

TOTALS...........28-39.........41.79%.....-74.50


JULY'S BEST BETS:

07/17/2018.................1 - 0..............+5.00.......................0 - 0................+0.00..............+5.00
07/15/2018.................1 - 4..............-17.00.......................1 - 4................-17.00.............-34.00
07/14/2018.................0 - 1...............-5.50........................0 - 1................-5.50...............-11.00
07/13/2018.................3 - 1...............+9.50.......................1 - 3................-11.50.............-2.00
07/12/2018.................1 - 0...............+5.00.......................1 - 0.................+5.00.............+10.00
07/10/2018.................3 - 0...............+15.00......................2- 1................+4.50.............+19.50
07/08/2018.................0 - 2...............-11.00.......................1 - 2................-6.00..............-17.00
07/07/2018.................1 - 2................-6.00........................1 - 2......,.........-6.00..............-12.00
07/06/2018.................0 - 1................-5.50........................1 - 0...............+5.00..............-0.50
07/05/2018.................2 - 1...............+4.50........................1 - 3...............-11.50.............-7.00
07/03/2018.................2 - 2................-1.00........................3 - 1...............+9.50..............+8.50
07/01/2018.................1 - 4................-17.00......................2 - 3................-6.50...............-23.50

TOTALS.....................15- 18..............-24.00......................14 - 20..............-40.00..............-64.00

[StarDust Bum]

Wednesday’s 8-pack

Future sites for the Final Four:
2019: Minneapolis
2020: Atlanta
2021: Indianapolis
2022: New Orleans
2023: Houston
2024: Phoenix
2025: San Antonio
2026: Indianapolis

Quote of the Day
“By failing to prepare, you’re preparing to fail.”
Benjamin Franklin

Wednesday’s quiz
When was the last time a President had only one term in office?

Tuesday’s quiz
In the movie Rounders, John Malkovich plays Russian gangster Teddy KGB.

Monday’s quiz
2003 was the last time two brothers played in the same All-Star Game, when Bret and Aaron Boone both made the All-Star team.


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Wednesday’s List of 13: My favorite sports-related movies

1) Moneyball— Beginning isn’t very good, the end sucks, but I’m an A’s fan and this movie is about how the 2003 A’s put together a team that won 20 games in a row, made the playoffs.

If the next ten weeks go really well, could Moneyball 2 be in the works?

Only really bad thing about this movie is they made skipper Art Howe look like a bad manager, and he was anything but— you don’t win 20 games in a row by accident.

2) Blue Chips— Nick Nolte is a college basketball coach who used to win a lot; in order to start winning again, he has to decide whether to break the recruiting rules or not.

Bob Cousy is the AD; Shaquille O’Neal, Penny Hardaway are two of the recruits. Lot of cameos from basketball people; Jerry Tarkanian, Jim Boeheim, Rick Pitino, Dick Vitale.

3) Invincible— True story about Vince Papale, a 30-year old bartender who tries out for the 1976 Philadelphia Eagles and makes the squad as a special teams player.

4) Fast Break— Gabe Kaplan manages a New York City deli until he applies for a job as a college basketball coach in Nevada. Bernard King, Michael Warren are two of his players; another one is a girl disguised as a guy.

5) Any Given Sunday— Al Pacino is a pro football coach whose team is struggling; Cameron Diaz is the owner, Dennis Quaid, Jamie Foxx are two of the QB’s.

Miami Sharks play against four teams in the movie, all coached by NFL Hall of Famers.

6) For Love of the Game— Kevin Costner is a star pitcher for the Tigers who is at the end of his career; he has flashbacks throughout his last game.

Detroit’s manager in this movie is JK Simmons, who is a Tigers fan in real life; New York’s manager is the late Augie Garrido, one of the all-time great college baseball coaches.

7) Friday Night Lights— Billy Bob Thornton is a high school football coach in west Texas, where they take high school football very seriously.

8) One on One— Robby Benson is a hotshot high school basketball player who gets recruited by a big-time college team, then finds himself in over his head.

9) Bull Durham— Costner is a minor league catcher who is brought in to mentor a hot-shot pitching prospect. Robert Wuhl is the pitching coach, Susan Sarandon mentors the prospect off the field.

10) Draft Day— Costner does lot of sports movies; he is GM of the Cleveland Browns in this one, Denis Leary is the Browns’ coach.

The year this movie came out, NFL pushed back the draft so the movie could be promoted more, but Radio City Music Hall wasn’t available for the later date, which is why they started moving the draft around the country. Sometimes great ideas happen by accident.

11) Major League— Bob Uecker should’ve won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Indians’ radio announcer Harry Doyle.

12) He Got Game— Underrated film about college basketball recruiting; if you saw this movie, you weren’t surprised by the problems Louisville had the last couple years.

13) Rocky— The original was a true classic; a journeyman boxer gets a chance to fight for the heavyweight title, and makes the most of it. 40 years later, tourists who come to Philadelphia still pose for pictures near the Rocky statue.

[StarDust Bum]

WNBA
Dunkel

Wednesday, July 18


Seattle @ Chicago

Game 305-306
July 18, 2018 @ 12:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Seattle
116.547
Chicago
100.324
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Seattle
by 16
175
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Seattle
by 9 1/2
171
Dunkel Pick:
Seattle
(-9 1/2); Over

Indiana @ Minnesota

Game 307-308
July 18, 2018 @ 1:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Indiana
94.740
Minnesota
112.163
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Minnesota
by 17 1/2
151
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Minnesota
No Line
N/A
Dunkel Pick:
Minnesota
N/A




WNBA

Wednesday, July 18

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Trend Report
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Seattle Storm
Seattle is 6-1 ATS in its last 7 games
Seattle is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games
Seattle is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
Seattle is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Seattle's last 8 games on the road
Seattle is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games when playing Chicago
Seattle is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing Chicago
The total has gone OVER in 10 of Seattle's last 13 games when playing Chicago
Seattle is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Chicago
Seattle is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Chicago

Chicago Sky
Chicago is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games
Chicago is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Chicago's last 5 games
Chicago is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games when playing Seattle
Chicago is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing Seattle
The total has gone OVER in 10 of Chicago's last 13 games when playing Seattle
Chicago is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against Seattle
Chicago is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Seattle


Indiana Fever
Indiana is 1-8 ATS in its last 9 games
Indiana is 2-23 SU in its last 25 games
Indiana is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
Indiana is 1-16 SU in its last 17 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Indiana's last 9 games on the road
Indiana is 4-15 SU in its last 19 games when playing Minnesota
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Indiana's last 10 games when playing Minnesota
Indiana is 2-3-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Minnesota
Indiana is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Minnesota
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Indiana's last 5 games when playing on the road against Minnesota

Minnesota Lynx
Minnesota is 2-5-1 ATS in its last 8 games
Minnesota is 9-4 SU in its last 13 games
Minnesota is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Minnesota's last 7 games
Minnesota is 15-4 SU in its last 19 games when playing Indiana
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Minnesota's last 10 games when playing Indiana
Minnesota is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Indiana
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Minnesota's last 5 games when playing at home against Indiana


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WNBA
Long Sheet

Wednesday, July 18

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SEATTLE (16 - 6) at CHICAGO (7 - 15) - 7/18/2018, 12:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
SEATTLE is 10-26 ATS (-18.6 Units) in road games on Wednesday since 1997.
SEATTLE is 18-35 ATS (-20.5 Units) in road games when playing with 3 or more days rest since 1997.
SEATTLE is 77-108 ATS (-41.8 Units) in road games after a division game since 1997.
SEATTLE is 8-1 ATS (+6.9 Units) in road games in July games over the last 3 seasons.
CHICAGO is 8-18 ATS (-11.8 Units) in home games over the last 2 seasons.
CHICAGO is 8-18 ATS (-11.8 Units) in a home game where where the total is greater than or equal to 150 over the last 2 seasons.
CHICAGO is 9-23 ATS (-16.3 Units) in home games in May, June, or July games over the last 3 seasons.
CHICAGO is 1-8 ATS (-7.8 Units) when playing with 2 days rest over the last 2 seasons.
CHICAGO is 54-84 ATS (-38.4 Units) in home games after allowing 75 points or more since 1997.
CHICAGO is 36-55 ATS (-24.5 Units) in home games versus poor defensive teams - allowing 77+ points/game since 1997.
CHICAGO is 3-10 ATS (-8.0 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 77+ points/game this season.

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

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INDIANA (2 - 20) at MINNESOTA (12 - 10) - 7/18/2018, 1:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
INDIANA is 4-12 ATS (-9.2 Units) in July games over the last 2 seasons.
INDIANA is 10-19 ATS (-10.9 Units) after scoring 75 points or more over the last 2 seasons.
MINNESOTA is 6-16 ATS (-11.6 Units) in home games in May, June, or July games over the last 2 seasons.

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

[StarDust Bum]

WEDNESDAY, JULY 18
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

IND at MIN 01:00 PM
MIN -14.0
U 156.0

[StarDust Bum]

Stewart leads Storm past Sky, 101-83
July 18, 2018

CHICAGO (AP) Breanna Stewart scored 30 points and grabbed nine rebounds, Jewell Loyd had 20 points, 10 boards and eight assists, and the league-leading Seattle Storm beat the Chicago Sky 101-83 on Wednesday.

Seattle topped the 100-point mark for the fourth time this season, setting a franchise single-season record.

Alysha Clark chipped in with 14 points for Seattle (17-6), which has won nine of its past 11 games. Stewart was 10 of 16 from the field with four 3-pointers and Clark added three 3-pointers as the Storm went 11 of 27 from distance. Sue Bird had a season-high 11 assists.

The Storm had five blocks and eight 3-pointers in the first half en route to a 54-37 advantage.

Allie Quigley led Chicago (7-16) with 18 points and four 3-pointers. Stefanie Dolson, rookie Diamond DeShields and Kahleah Copper each scored 14 points. Chicago has lost four games in a row - all by double digits.


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Fowles guides Lynx by Fever, 89-65
July 18, 2018

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) Sylvia Fowles scored a season-high 30 points and grabbed 16 rebounds to help the Minnesota Lynx beat the Indiana Fever 89-65 on Wednesday.

Fowles, the reigning MVP, was 13 of 15 from the field as Minnesota shot 52.4 percent, including 9 of 19 from 3-point range. She moved into fourth with 558 career blocks, passing Tangela Smith on the WNBA list. Margo Dydek (1998-2008) holds the record with 877.

Seimone Augustus made all three of her 3-point attempts and finished with 13 points for Minnesota (13-10), which snapped a two-game losing streak. Maya Moore and Cecilia Zandalasini each scored 10.

Fowles made all seven of her first-half field goals and scored 18 points to help the Lynx build a 51-36 lead.

Candice Dupree scored 20 points for Indiana (2-21) and Cappie Pondexter added 10.

[StarDust Bum]

SCHEDULE FOR THURSDAY JULY 19, 2018
Time (ET) Away Home Site
7:00 PM New York Liberty Atlanta Dream McCamish Pavilion
8:00 PM Washington Mystics Dallas Wings College Park Center
10:00 PM Las Vegas Aces Phoenix Mercury Talking Stick Resort Arena


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


WNBA JULY RECORD: OVERALL PICKS.

DATE W-L-T % UNITS RECORD

07/18/2018 2-0-0 100.00% +10.00
07/17/2018 1-0-1 100.00% +5.00
07/15/2018 2-8-0 20.00% -34.00
07/14/2018 0-2-0 0.00% -11.00
07/13/2018 4-4-0 50.00% -2.00
07/12/2018 2-0-0 100.00% +10.00
07/10/2018 4-2-0 66.67% +9.00
07/08/2018 1-4-1 20.00% -17.00
07/07/2018 2-4-0 33.33% -12.00
07/06/2018 1-1-0 50.00% -0.50
07/05/2018 3-4-1 42.86% -7.00
07/03/2018 5-3-0 62.50% +8.50
07/01/2018 3-7-0 30.00% -23.50

TOTALS...........30-39.........43.47%.....-64.50


JULY'S BEST BETS:

07/18/2018.................1 - 0..............+5.00.......................1 - 0................+5.00..............+10.00
07/17/2018.................1 - 0..............+5.00.......................0 - 0................+0.00..............+5.00
07/15/2018.................1 - 4..............-17.00.......................1 - 4................-17.00.............-34.00
07/14/2018.................0 - 1...............-5.50........................0 - 1................-5.50...............-11.00
07/13/2018.................3 - 1...............+9.50.......................1 - 3................-11.50.............-2.00
07/12/2018.................1 - 0...............+5.00.......................1 - 0.................+5.00.............+10.00
07/10/2018.................3 - 0...............+15.00......................2- 1................+4.50.............+19.50
07/08/2018.................0 - 2...............-11.00.......................1 - 2................-6.00..............-17.00
07/07/2018.................1 - 2................-6.00........................1 - 2......,.........-6.00..............-12.00
07/06/2018.................0 - 1................-5.50........................1 - 0...............+5.00..............-0.50
07/05/2018.................2 - 1...............+4.50........................1 - 3...............-11.50.............-7.00
07/03/2018.................2 - 2................-1.00........................3 - 1...............+9.50..............+8.50
07/01/2018.................1 - 4................-17.00......................2 - 3................-6.50...............-23.50

TOTALS.....................16- 18..............-19.00......................15 - 20..............-35.00..............-54.00

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo: Thursday's six-pack

— SEC football Media Week ain’t the same without Les Miles.

— Superstitious much? There are no Gate 13’s in McCarran Airport in Las Vegas.

— Ole Miss basketball coach Mike White is only 41, but has lived in 14 different states

— Georgia football coach Kirby Smart was a Finance major in college.

— Purdue has a QB named Nick Sipe whose uncle is Brian Sipe, the terrific QB for the Browns who also played for the Jacksonville Bulls in the USFL.

— Last seven years, Ohio St/Northwestern are only two Big 14 football teams that have been plus in turnovers in all seven years.


**********

Armadillo: Thursday's List of 13: Doing some thinking out loud…….

13) San Antonio Spurs traded Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green to Toronto for DeMar DeRozan, Jakob Poeltl and a protected 2019 1st-round pick.

Over the last five years, the Raptors went 263-147 in the regular season, only 21-30 in playoff games, so they fired their coach and traded their best player. We’ll see how that works out.

12) I’m thinking managing a major league team now has to be more difficult than it used to be; back when I was a kid, guys like Sparky Anderson, Earl Weaver, Dick Williams were big names who unquestionably ran their teams- that doesn’t exist anymore.

Front office/analytics types run the show on most teams now; managers with strong personalities don’t get hired as much or don’t keep their jobs— see Joe Girardi.

Managers, by the very nature of their jobs, dictate the tone of their teams, but they dictate less and less of their team’s tactics and roster management, but they still have to answer to the press, which can’t be a lot of fun.

11) On July 17, 1963, Braves-Giants played a game in San Francisco, Spahn vs Marichal, two Hall of Fame pitchers.

Game was scoreless into the 16th inning with both pitchers going whole way, when Willie Mays ended it with a solo-homer off Spahn. Marichal threw 227 pitches and Spahn threw 201.

If that happened today, both managers would’ve been fired after the game.

10) One of the coolest nights I’ve spent in Las Vegas was during this week back in 2015, late on a Wednesday night.

Diamondbacks game in Phoenix went 14 or 15 innings, ran very late; at same time, live coverage from the BBC or some channel in England had live first round coverage of the British Open on, so you could watch live action on TV’s next to each other, one on Wednesday night, the other Thursday morning. It was oddly fun.

9) All nine people who made the final table at the World Series of Poker made $1M+; the winner got $8.8M, runner-up got $5M— no wonder he was smiling in the pictures afterwards.

8) They had another poker tournament that ran Sunday-Tuesday, 27 people entered with a buy-in of $1M. Top 5 cashed, the other 22 had to explain to their wives why they blew $1M to play cards for a couple nights.

Guy who won took home $10M and he was losing for most of the heads-up period.

7) Golfer Hideki Matsuyama finished in the top-20 in each of the last seven majors and 11 of the last 14.

6) From gambling expert Bill Krackomberger, talking about the start of legalized sports betting in New Jersey:

“…….of the $15.4 million wagered, the casinos/state won just under $3.5 million in 16 days. That is a hold percentage of over 22%. In relation, Nevada’s hold for 2017 was 5.1%.”

KL Wheat reported in from New Jersey Wednesday:

“…….went to bet Ricky Fowler at 17-1 on board, went to bet 10 seconds later, it was 12-1.” That was at Monmouth— he got 16-1 on Fowler at Borgata.

5) Back in 1983, Donald Trump could’ve bought the Dallas Cowboys for $50M but passed; now they’re worth $4.8B. Thats billion, with a B.

4) Of the eight guys in Home Run Derby this year, only Harper/Freeman are making more than $660,000 this season. MLB needs more established stars to do Home Run Derby.

3) One really cool thing about the derby this year is that the two finalists both had unusual guys throwing to them. Had to be a ton of pressure on these guys to throw hittable pitches.

Bruce Harper had his dad throwing to him, which is great- Robinson Cano’s dad threw to him a few years ago, and Kyle Schwarber’s buddy threw to him- the graphic actually said under the guy’s name “Kyle’s friend”

2) Apparently, Juwan Howard holds an NBA record he had 236 different teammates during his long playing career. Vince Carter could break that record this year if he plays; he’s had 228 different teammates in his career.

1) Imagine being A’s reliever Blake Treinen Tuesday night; run out of Washington last summer, exiled to Oakland because he was having a bad year (5.73 ERA in 37.2 IP).

Now he has 24 saves for an Oakland team that is a surprise contender in the AL Wild Card race, and he has been awesome. He comes back to Washington a year after they ran him out of town and he is a freakin’ All-Star. That had to be tremendous.