Cnotes 2018 wnba picks,trends,notes,news !

[StarDust Bum]

Storm warning: watch out for Fever

On paper, Tuesday's game is a mismatch -- the WNBA's best team, the Seattle Storm, against the league's worst squad, the Indiana Fever. The Storm were the first team to clinch a spot in the postseason and the Fever were the first club to be eliminated from the playoff race.

But games are not played on paper, and the Storm would be wise not to take the Fever lightly when the squads square off at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

Indiana, which is a woeful 5-23, is coming off its first two-game win streak of the season, beating playoff-bound Dallas at home on Thursday before outlasting New York 68-55 on the road Saturday afternoon.

The Fever won consecutive games for the first time since May 20-24, 2017, ended a five-game losing streak against New York and eliminated the Liberty (7-20) from the WNBA playoff race.

Indiana has now won three of its last five games.

Candice Dupree paced the Fever with a season-high 25 points and Natalie Achonwa notched her fifth double-double of the season with 10 points and a game-high 13 rebounds.

The Fever also got 10 points apiece from backcourt mates Cappie Pondexter and Erica Wheeler.

"A lot of times when we have missed shots ourselves, we've let that impact us on defense, limiting our consistency in schemes and execution," Fever coach Pokey Chatman said after the win in New York. "We didn't let that happen (against New York). Our goal always is to force people into contested two-pointers. We stayed to our principles on defense, even when things were rough on the other end."

Defense carried the Fever over the Liberty. Indiana forced 20 turnovers and allowed the fewest points by an opponent since a Sept. 1, 2015, win over Connecticut. New York did its part in the loss as well, missing all 15 of its shots from the field in the fourth quarter and scoring just two points, matching the second fewest points in any fourth quarter in league history.

The Storm (22-7) head to Indianapolis after a hard-fought 96-80 win on the road over the Liberty on Monday afternoon. Seattle outscored New York by 15 points in the fourth quarter to walk away with the victory.

Breanna Stewart led the Storm with 32 points and Jewell Loyd added 17 points. Natsha Howard had 14 points and 10 rebounds and Sue Bird scored 10 points for Seattle.

Stewart, who averages 23 points and eight rebounds per game on the league's marquee team, is a favorite to be named WNBA MVP.

"To me, MVP is an award you get when you're playing at a high level, but your team is doing something great, too," Stewart told the Seattle Times. "Honestly, the wins are what's most important. Whatever happens from there is gravy."

Monday's matchup against the Liberty at Madison Square Garden was the opener of a four-game road trip on which Seattle could clinch the best record in the league and top seed in the playoffs. The Storm are already guaranteed a spot in the postseason for the 14th time in their 19-year history.

Seattle and Indiana have played twice this season, with the Storm winning 72-63 on June 22 in Seattle and 92-72 on July 24 in Indianapolis.

[StarDust Bum]

Languishing Lynx look to end losing streak in visit to Chicago

The Minnesota Lynx played the top three teams in the WNBA standings in their past three games. Each time they found themselves wanting.

The competition figures get a little easier on Tuesday when the Lynx travel to Chicago to face the Sky (10-18) at Wintrust Arena. However, the Sky won the teams' first meeting there, 77-63 on July 7.

Minnesota (15-13), which took a three-game win streak into the All-Star break, has lost to Los Angeles, Seattle and Atlanta by 22, 10 and 20 points, respectively, since then.

The stretch gave Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve a feel for how her team fits among the WNBA's elite right now.

"Yeah, not very well, right?" Reeve told the (Minneapolis) Star Tribune.

In Sunday's 86-66 home loss to Atlanta, Minnesota was held below 70 points for the sixth time this season. The Lynx are 0-6 in those games.

Minnesota's Maya Moore and Sylvia Fowles combined for 32 points and 16 rebounds in the loss. But that wasn't enough for Reeve.

"If Maya Moore and Sylvia Fowles don't play like our team's best players ... " Reeve said. "If we don't have our best players playing at their best, it is a big-time challenge."

Moore went 4 of 13 from the field and Fowles committed three turnovers.

"Sylvia is affected by stuff around her," Reeve said. "Way too affected when something's not going well. So you're up and down with her through the course of the game."

The Lynx will make the trip to Chicago without power forward Rebekkah Brunson, who is day to day after getting hit in the nose by Atlanta's Tiffany Hayes.

With the loss to Atlanta, Minnesota clinched its worst regular-season record since going 13-21 in 2010.

The Lynx are just a game ahead of the eight-place Dallas Wings and 2 1/2 clear of Las Vegas, where they play Thursday.

The Sky, who also enter the game after a loss to the Dream -- 89-74 on Friday in Atlanta -- are clutching the slimmest of postseason hopes. Chicago trails Dallas by four games with six remaining.

While Sky point guard Courtney Vandersloot failed to reach 10 assists for the first time in five games -- she had seven -- she was the only Chicago player to score in double figures with 24 points.

Vandersloot had set a WNBA record with 50 assists during a four-game stretch on July 31.

"I have the best point guard in the league," Chicago's Cheyenne Parker said after Vandersloot delivered 14 assists as the Sky held on to beat the Dallas Wings. "So she just knows how to find the open man, and I just happened to be the open man a lot tonight. And she got me the ball."

The Lynx and Sky meet for a third and final time in a week in Minneapolis.

[StarDust Bum]

Mystics carry three-game road win streak into Phoenix

After being humbled with a 26-point loss at the Connecticut Sun two weeks ago, the surging Washington Mystics have won three consecutive games -- all on the road -- as they get set to play at the Phoenix Mercury on Tuesday night.

The Mercury (16-13) have come on hard times, losing five of their last six games, a stretch that includes four straight losses at home.

With only five regular-season games remaining, including Tuesday's matchup with Washington (16-11), the Mercury are three games up on the Las Vegas Aces, the ninth-place team that is just out of playoff contention.

The Mercury appear to be in decent shape to survive with a playoff spot, but coach Sandy Brondello is not taking anything for granted given that her team has won only two of its last 10 games.

They are coming off a hard-fought 78-75 loss on the road Sunday to the Los Angeles Sparks. Veteran guard Diana Taurasi fouled out with 2:40 remaining and the Sparks leading by two points.

Taurasi leads the Mercury, averaging 20.6 points and 4.8 assists per game. Brittney Griner, who had 22 points against the Sparks, averages a team-best 7.1 rebounds per game.

"It's unfortunate. They were questionable fouls," Brondello said of Taurasi fouling out. "When you take one of your best players out of the game, it makes it hard to win. Credit to the girls, I thought they fought hard."

The Mercury lost on a late shot -- a 3-pointer made by Sparks guard Chelsea Gray. The Mystics enter Tuesday's game coming off a game-winning shot by Kristi Toliver with 14 seconds left in the 76-74 victory. Toliver, who leads the Mystics with 4.6 assists per game, paced her team with 16 points.

"They know that right now, the way the league is, every game seems to be like this," Washington coach Mike Thibault said. "Every team we play is fighting. There's 10 teams in contention for eight spots, so it feels like sometimes you actually do better by not playing. You can move up in the standings if somebody else loses.

"But winning games like this on the road are really difficult and those are hard to come by. We'll take every one of them."

Washington and Phoenix will play for the third time, with each already winning on the road. In the last meeting, the Mercury won 84-74 in Washington, D.C., on June 30, when Phoenix was in the midst of a four-game winning streak and positioned only behind the Seattle Storm for the best record in the WNBA.

Washington's top scorer (20.2 points) and rebounder (7.4) is veteran all-star wing player Elena Della Donne.

[StarDust Bum]

TUESDAY, AUGUST 7
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

LV at ATL 07:00 PM
LV +8.5
U 166.5

SEA at IND 07:00 PM
IND +12.5
U 164.0

MIN at CHI 08:30 PM
CHI +3.5
O 164.5

WAS at PHO 10:00 PM
WAS +2.5
O 169.5

[StarDust Bum]

WNBA Capsules
August 7, 2018

ATLANTA (AP) Elizabeth Williams and Alex Bentley each scored 22 points, Tiffany Hayes added 21 and the Atlanta Dream beat the Las Vegas Aces 109-100 on Tuesday night to clinch a playoff spot.

Earlier in the day, the WNBA ruled Las Vegas would forfeit its game against Washington that was canceled last week when the Aces players decided not to play because of concerns about their health and safety after 26 hours of travel.

Williams scored on back-to-back possessions and assisted on the third as Jessica Breland capped the scoring with 40 seconds to go. Williams' baskets followed two 1-for-2 trips to the line for Las Vegas.

Angel McCoughtry chipped in with 19 points for Atlanta (19-10), which set a season-high in points.

Kelsey Plum had 20 points and 13 assists for Las Vegas (12-17). Kayla McBride added 19 points and A'ja Wilson had 18 points and eight rebounds.

Wilson, McBride and Plum combined to score 42 of Las Vegas' 60 first-half points. Wilson's former coach, Dawn Staley, at South Carolina sat courtside.

LYNX 85, SKY 64

CHICAGO (AP) - Maya Moore scored 31 points to help the Lynx beat the Sky to end a three-game losing streak.

Minnesota started the second half on a 12-0 run for a 51-38 lead and outscored the Sky 29-15 in the third quarter. Chicago didn't make its first fourth-quarter field goal until the 5:28 mark.

Danielle Robinson had 12 points and 11 assists in her first start of the season for short-handed Minnesota (16-13). She replaced a resting Lindsay Whalen. The Lynx were also without Rebekkah Brunson after getting knocked in the face in the team's previous game.

Moore was 11 of 17 from the field and Minnesota shot 53 percent. All five Lynx starters scored in double figures.

Allie Quigley hit four 3-pointers and scored 22 points for Chicago (10-19). Courtney Vandersloot had 11 points and seven assists.

Several Chicago Bulls players were in attendance, including Jabari Parker, Bobby Portis and Antonio Blakeney.

STORM 94, FEVER 79

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Natasha Howard had 19 points, eight rebounds and four assists, Sue Bird became the WNBA leader in minutes played and the Storm beat the Fever.

Breanna Stewart added 17 points and 12 rebounds for Seattle (23-7), which won back-to-back games in Indiana for the first time in franchise history. Bird scored 16 points with eight assists, passing Tina Thompson (1997-13) at 16,090 minutes.

Stewart had 12 points, seven rebounds and four assists in the first half to help Seattle to a 51-44 lead. Seattle scored 14 of the game's first 19 points.

Bird's no-look pass to a cutting Howard gave Seattle a 61-50 advantage. Howard's drive and spin in the lane made it 76-60 at the end of the third quarter.

Candice Dupree had 22 points and eight rebounds for Indiana (5-24), which was coming off its first two-game winning streak of the season. Victoria Vivians scored all 15 of her points in the first half on five 3-pointers.

MYSTICS 103, MERCURY 98

PHOENIX (AP) - Elena Delle Donne scored 30 points, Kristi Toliver added 25 and the Mystics secured a playoff spot with a victory over the Mercury.

Prior to the tip, Washington was involved in the first forfeited game in WNBA history. The league ruled that Las Vegas would get a loss for its game against the Mystics that was canceled last week when the Aces players decided not to play because of concerns about their health and safety after 26 hours of travel.

Delle Donne made two free throws with 2:17 remaining in the game for a 10-point lead, but Phoenix rallied. Diana Taurasi and DeWanna Bonner made 3-pointers on back-to-back Phoenix possessions to pull to 98-94 and Taurasi was fouled on a 3-pointer with 17.5 left, making three free throws to pull to 100-98.

Toliver went 1 for 2 with 16.2 seconds remaining to give Washington a three-point lead, Phoenix turned it over and Toliver made two more to seal it.

LaToya Sanders scored 19 points and Natasha Cloud 15 for Washington (18-11), which has won four straight - all on the road.

Brittney Griner, Taurasi and Bonner combined to score 84 points for Phoenix (16-14). Griner had 35 points and 11 rebounds, Taurasi scored 29 and Bonner 20. The Mercury have lost five straight at home.

[StarDust Bum]

SCHEDULE FOR WEDNESDAY AUGUST 8, 2018
Time (ET) Away Home Site
7:05 PM Los Angeles Sparks New York Liberty Westchester County Center
8:05 PM Connecticut Sun Dallas Wings College Park Center

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DATE W-L-T % UNITS RECORD

08/07/2018 2-6-0 25.00% -23.00
08/05/2018 3-5-0 37.50% -12.50
08/04/2018 2-0-0 100.00% +10.00
08/03/2018 1-3-0 25.00% -11.50
08/02/2018 3-1-0 75.00% +9.50
08/01/2018 3-1-0 75.00% +9.50

TOTALS.........14-16-0........46.66%.....-18.00


BEST BETS.....................ATS.............UNITS.... ............O/U...................UNITS.............TOTAL

08/07/2018..................1 - 3............-11.50.................1 - 3..................-11.50............-23.00
08/05/2018..................1 - 3............-11.50.................2 - 2...................-1.00.............-12.50
08/04/2018..................1 - 0............+5.00..................1 - 0.................+5.00.............+10.00
08/03/2018..................1 - 1.............-0.50..................0 - 2..................-11.00.............-11.50
08/02/2018..................1 - 1.............-0.50..................2 - 0.................+10.00.............+9.50
08/01/2018..................1 - 1.............-0.50..................2 - 0.................+10.00.............+9.50

TOTALS........................6 - 9.............-19.50................8 - 7.................+1.50...............-18.00

[StarDust Bum]

Wednesday’s 6-pack

Odds to win the 2019 college basketball title a long time from now:

— Duke Blue Devils 11-2

— Kentucky Wildcats, Kansas Jayhawks 6-1

— Gonzaga Bulldogs 7-1

— Villanova Wildcats 8-1

— Nevada Wolf Pack 10-1

— North Carolina Tar Heels, Virginia Cavaliers 12-1

Tweet of the Day
“Listen, I’m glad nobody saw that I was shaking. That was my childhood hero. … He’s the reason I eat my vegetables and say my prayers. … Take your vitamins and say your prayers, brother!”
Buccaneers’ DE Vinny Curry, after meeting Hulk Hogan this week

Wednesday’s quiz
Kings County in New York is better known by another name; what is it?

Tuesday’s quiz
Everyone knows Jim Kelly played for the Buffalo Bills in the NFL, but he also played for the USFL’s Houston Gamblers, before he played in the NFL.

Monday’s quiz
Terry Collins managed the Angels before Mike Scioscia.

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

13) Its good if you learn something new every day; was reading an article today about a card game called booray, a cross between spades and hearts that has its roots in Louisiana and is very popular amongst NBA players on airplanes and in hotels.

Professional athletes are competitive by nature, whether they’re playing ball or cards or doing whatever it is that they do. They also have a lot of money.

12) Go to actionnetwork.com for an interesting article about how in 2009, a booray game between two players on the Washington Wizards got out of hand and I’m understating that. Go read the article; poor Flip Saunders, who was coaching the Wizards at the time.

11) I’m watching Hard Knocks on HBO the other night, from last year’s show featuring the Tampa Bay Bucs, and the narrator says this line:

“Quite simply, he’s the most important player on the team.”

He was talking about QB Jameis Winston, and if you’re a Bucs’ fan, it has to make you queasy, because Winston is suspended for the first three games this season, for off-field issues.

Buccaneers opened at +7.5 in their season opener at New Orleans; game has been bet up to 9.5, with Ryan Fitzpatrick the likely Tampa Bay starter at QB.

10) The great Tony Gwynn got his 2,000th hit on August 6, 1993 and he got his 3,000th hit on an August 6, 1999. Gwynn’s mother’s birthday was August 6th.

9) 76ers’ rookie Zhaire Smith broke his foot this week; what is it with Sixers rookies and foot injuries?

8) Sounds like when Robinson Cano returns to the Seattle Mariners next week, it’ll be as a first baseman. He is playing first base in his AAA; there are thoughts he could play 3B, too, but since he can’t play in the postseason, Dee Gordon will likely stay at second for Seattle.

7) Last week, the WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces needed nearly 26 hours to travel to Washington from Las Vegas after flight delays and cancellations Friday. By the time the team reached its hotel, it was 3:45 p.m. — about four hours before the scheduled tip.

Aces players decided not to play because of concerns about their health and safety after 26 hours of travel; the WNBA ruled Tuesday that the Aces have to forfeit that game.

6) Sounds like Lakers-Warriors will be on Christmas Day; who ever would’ve guessed?

5) Bronx Bombers are still on the hook for $47M over the next three years to Jacoby Ellsbury, the oft-injured outfielder who had hip surgery in NYC this week.

4) Get well soon to Red Sox TV announcer Jerry Remy, who has battled cancer multiple times in the last decade and now has to do it again. We wish him well.

3) RIP to hockey great Stan Mikita, 78 who passed away this week. Mikita played for 22 years with the Chicago Blackhawks, is their all-time leading scorer.

One of my first memories as a young Bruins fan was rooting against the Blackhawks, who had Mikita and Bobby Hull as their best players. RIP, sir.

2) An Irish guy living in Vancouver went streaking during the 9th inning of the Toronto-Mariners game in Seattle Saturday night, all for an $80 bet. Now the guy may get deported back to Ireland, because of his subsequent arrest. Brilliant!!!

1) Which reminds me that when the Blue Jays visit Seattle every year, a ton of Toronto fans invade Safeco Field; the Blue Jays are Canada’s team, after all, and Seattle is close to Canada.

[StarDust Bum]

WNBA
Dunkel

Wednesday, August 8


Los Angeles @ New York

Game 609-610
August 8, 2018 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Los Angeles
113.124
New York
101.013
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Los Angeles
by 12
152
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Los Angeles
by 8 1/2
155
Dunkel Pick:
Los Angeles
(-8 1/2); Under

Connecticut @ Dallas

Game 611-612
August 8, 2018 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Connecticut
117.569
Dallas
107.556
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Connecticut
by 10
169
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Connecticut
No Line
N/A
Dunkel Pick:
Connecticut
N/A




WNBA

Wednesday, August 8

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Trend Report
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Los Angeles Sparks
Los Angeles is 5-10 ATS in its last 15 games
Los Angeles is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Los Angeles's last 5 games on the road
Los Angeles is 6-1 ATS in its last 7 games when playing New York
Los Angeles is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing New York
The total has gone UNDER in 11 of Los Angeles's last 16 games when playing New York
Los Angeles is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games when playing on the road against New York
Los Angeles is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against New York
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Los Angeles's last 8 games when playing on the road against New York
New York Liberty
New York is 1-6 ATS in its last 7 games
New York is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of New York's last 5 games
New York is 1-6 ATS in its last 7 games when playing Los Angeles
New York is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games when playing Los Angeles
The total has gone UNDER in 11 of New York's last 16 games when playing Los Angeles
New York is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against Los Angeles
New York is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Los Angeles
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of New York's last 8 games when playing at home against Los Angeles


Connecticut Sun
Connecticut is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games
Connecticut is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Connecticut's last 7 games
Connecticut is 4-9 ATS in its last 13 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Connecticut's last 6 games on the road
Connecticut is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing Dallas
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Connecticut's last 5 games when playing Dallas
Connecticut is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Dallas
Connecticut is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Dallas
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Connecticut's last 8 games when playing on the road against Dallas
Dallas Wings
Dallas is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games
Dallas is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Dallas's last 6 games
Dallas is 6-2 ATS in its last 8 games at home
Dallas is 15-8 SU in its last 23 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Dallas's last 5 games at home
Dallas is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games when playing Connecticut
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Dallas's last 5 games when playing Connecticut
Dallas is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against Connecticut
Dallas is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Connecticut
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Dallas's last 8 games when playing at home against Connecticut


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WNBA
Long Sheet

Wednesday, August 8

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LOS ANGELES (17 - 11) at NEW YORK (7 - 21) - 8/8/2018, 7:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
NEW YORK is 107-78 ATS (+21.2 Units) after a loss by 10 points or more since 1997.
NEW YORK is 48-30 ATS (+15.0 Units) after 3 or more consecutive losses since 1997.
LOS ANGELES is 15-4 ATS (+10.6 Units) in August or September games over the last 2 seasons.
LOS ANGELES is 13-4 ATS (+8.6 Units) after 3 or more consecutive unders over the last 2 seasons.
LOS ANGELES is 8-2 ATS (+5.8 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record this season.
NEW YORK is 3-10 ATS (-8.0 Units) against Western conference opponents this season.
NEW YORK is 3-10 ATS (-8.0 Units) in non-conference games this season.
NEW YORK is 2-8 ATS (-6.8 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record after 15+ games this season.
NEW YORK is 6-15 ATS (-10.5 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 77+ points/game this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
LOS ANGELES is 6-1 against the spread versus NEW YORK over the last 3 seasons
LOS ANGELES is 6-1 straight up against NEW YORK over the last 3 seasons
4 of 7 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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CONNECTICUT (16 - 12) at DALLAS (14 - 14) - 8/8/2018, 8:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
CONNECTICUT is 4-3 against the spread versus DALLAS over the last 3 seasons
CONNECTICUT is 6-1 straight up against DALLAS over the last 3 seasons
3 of 6 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

[StarDust Bum]

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 8
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

LA at NY 07:00 PM
NY +8.5
U 155.0

CONN at DAL 08:00 PM
DAL +4.0
O 171.5

[StarDust Bum]

WNBA Capsules
August 8, 2018

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) Alyssa Thomas scored 22 points, Jonquel Jones added 17 and the hot-shooting Connecticut Sun eased by the Dallas Wings 101-92 on Wednesday night to extend their winning streak to five straight games and clinch a playoff berth.

Connecticut led by 20 points entering the fourth quarter but Theresa Plaisance hit a 3-pointer to pull the Wings to 96-90 with 42 seconds left. It was the closest Dallas had been since the 5:19 mark of the second quarter. Layshia Clarendon answered with two free throws and Thomas went 1 for 2 from the line on Connecticut's next trip to seal it.

Jasmine Thomas scored 17 points for Connecticut (17-12) and Chiney Ogwumike had 13. Connecticut set a franchise record with its fifth straight 90-point game.

Elizabeth Cambage scored 15 of her 29 points in the third quarter for Dallas (14-15) before leaving the game in the fourth with an apparent head injury.

The Wings have lost six straight, but still hold a two-game lead on Las Vegas for the final playoff spot.

SPARKS 82, LIBERTY 81

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. (AP) - Chelsea Gray scored 19 points, Candace Parker had 13 points, eight rebounds and six assists and the Sparks beat the Liberty.

Riquna Williams and Essence Carson each made a 3-pointer on back-to-back possessions to give Los Angeles a 78-73 lead with 1:36 to go.

Gray made it 80-75 after two free throws and Nneka Ogwumike added two more on the Sparks' next possession for a four-point lead.

New York's Sugar Rodgers made two 3-pointers in the final 10 seconds, but Parker ran out the clock.

Ogwumike added 18 points for Los Angeles (18-11), which clinched its seventh straight playoff spot on Tuesday.

Tina Charles scored 27 points to lead New York (7-22), which has lost eight straight.

[StarDust Bum]

SCHEDULE FOR THURSDAY AUGUST 9, 2018
Time (ET) Away Home Site
11:35 AM Seattle Storm Washington Mystics Capital One Arena
7:05 PM Los Angeles Sparks Atlanta Dream McCamish Pavilion
10:05 PM Minnesota Lynx Las Vegas Aces Mandalay Bay Event Center


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DATE W-L-T % UNITS RECORD

08/08/2018 2-2-0 50.00% -1.00
08/07/2018 2-6-0 25.00% -23.00
08/05/2018 3-5-0 37.50% -12.50
08/04/2018 2-0-0 100.00% +10.00
08/03/2018 1-3-0 25.00% -11.50
08/02/2018 3-1-0 75.00% +9.50
08/01/2018 3-1-0 75.00% +9.50

TOTALS.........16-18-0........47.05%.....-19.00


BEST BETS.....................ATS.............UNITS.... ............O/U...................UNITS.............TOTAL

08/08/2018..................1 - 1.............-0.50..................1 - 1..................-0.50..............-1.00
08/07/2018..................1 - 3............-11.50.................1 - 3..................-11.50............-23.00
08/05/2018..................1 - 3............-11.50.................2 - 2...................-1.00.............-12.50
08/04/2018..................1 - 0............+5.00..................1 - 0.................+5.00.............+10.00
08/03/2018..................1 - 1.............-0.50..................0 - 2..................-11.00.............-11.50
08/02/2018..................1 - 1.............-0.50..................2 - 0.................+10.00.............+9.50
08/01/2018..................1 - 1.............-0.50..................2 - 0.................+10.00.............+9.50

TOTALS......................7 - 10.............-20.00................9 - 8.................+1.00...............-19.00

[StarDust Bum]

Thursday’s 6-pack

Odds on more teams to win the 2019 college basketball title next April:

— Michigan State Spartans 15-1

— Tennessee Volunteers 20-1

— Auburn Michigan, Oregon 25-1

— UCLA Bruins, West Virginia Mountaineers 30-1

— Florida, Purdue, Texas Tech, Wichita State 40-1

— Cincinnati, Florida State, Miami, Ohio State 50-1

Tweet of the Day
“Every player has a right to express what he feels and what he thinks. I think he has every right to do that with every coach in the organization that he has relationships with, which we certainly do quite often. Look, this is probably a lot more important to people outside this organization than people inside. This doesn’t have any effect on our team. The rhetoric will not have anything to do with who’s the quarterback. That will obviously be decided on the field. Same parameters than before on who wins the team.”
Nick Saban

Thursday’s quiz
Which NFL team did Nick Saban once coach?

Wednesday’s quiz
Kings County in New York is better known by another name, Brooklyn.

Tuesday’s quiz
Everyone knows Jim Kelly played for the Buffalo Bills in the NFL, but he also played for the USFL’s Houston Gamblers, before he played in the NFL.

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

13) Made an appearance at Saratoga racetrack Wednesday with my cousins; I know very little about horse racing, but its a fun place to visit. Living 25 miles from the track, have been there dozens of times over the years, but horse racing is a very difficult game to beat.

My favorite horse? Mr Ed, the talking horse from an old TV show (look it up on YouTube).

12) Free advice on going to Saratoga; eat before you go, because the vendors at Saratoga are the biggest thieves in America. Seriously.

How much would you pay for a (decent) hot dog and a 20-ounce bottle of Coke?

How much would you pay for a salty pretzel and a bottle of water?

Try $13 for the hot dog/soda, and $12 for the pretzel/water.

$6 for a 20-ounce bottle of Coke?!?!?!?! $5 for a 20-ounce bottle of water???

To paraphrase John McEnroe, “You cannot be serious!!!!”

11) Big-time rule change in college basketball: All players who get invited to the NBA Combine but go undrafted will have the option to return to their former school.

This is a tremendous rule change, it gives kids the option of going back to school or going to the G-League. It’ll help college basketball and it has no real downside that I can see.

10) One rule change that didn’t happen was low-level staff members (like operations directors and video coordinators) being able to do on-court skill instruction.

Not sure why that isn’t allowed, but it still isn’t.

9) 13 football players at North Carolina will be suspended for selling team-issued Jordan sneakers given to them by the school. 10 of the 14 players will be suspended for four games.

Chazz Surratt was supposed to be the Tar Heels’ QB this season; he is done for four games, which is a major problem for North Carolina.

8) From CBS sports.com, also regarding sneakers:

“According to the NYPD and Homeland Security Investigations, five individuals in New York who smuggled several thousand pairs of fake Nike Air Jordan shoes into New York and New Jersey have been caught red-handed. The estimated total amount of the stock had the sneakers been authentic, per ABC News, is roughly $73 million.”

Each defendant in the case faces a maximum potential sentence of 20 years in prison.

7) This is my annual complaint that Little League games shouldn’t be on national TV; too much pressure on 11-13 year olds. Imagine being a kid who messes up in a game and his team loses and he has to live in that town the rest of his life? Or be shown on SportsCenter?

6) So there are cars wth push-button ignitions; I had no idea about this until a couple of years ago when I was in Las Vegas. Rented a car, which was parked in the parking garage— it is 110 degrees in the garage, and I can’t figure out how to start the damn car. Would’ve been funny, if I wasn’t the fool who couldn’t start the car. Luckily I figured it out before I sweated thru my clothes.

Not sure what the advantage of a keyless ignition is, but they’re advertising them on TV, so they must be a big deal.

5) Second time in three years on Hard Knocks for DC Browns’ Gregg Williams, who was with the Rams two years ago. Hope this season turns out better for him than that one did.

4) Indians 5, Twins 2— Francisco Lindor hit his 2nd career walk-off HR in this game; his 67 extra-base hits lead the majors this season.

3) Mets 8, Reds 0— Jacob deGrom’s first win since June 18 in Denver.

2) Kentucky is playing four exhibition games in the Bahamas this week and SEC Network or some ESPN channel is showing all of them.

1) The family of billionaire Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos should owe the state of Michigan $2.4M in taxes on her family yacht that is cruising the Great Lakes this summer- but the yacht is registered as a foreign vessel from the Cayman Islands, so they dodge the taxes everyone else pays.

Who knows, maybe that $2.4M could help fix the water pipes in Flint, MI? Go figure.

[StarDust Bum]

WNBA
Long Sheet

Thursday, August 9

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SEATTLE (23 - 7) at WASHINGTON (17 - 11) - 8/9/2018, 11:30 AM
Top Trends for this game.
SEATTLE is 19-10 ATS (+8.0 Units) in all games this season.
SEATTLE is 15-8 ATS (+6.2 Units) as a favorite this season.
SEATTLE is 12-3 ATS (+8.7 Units) in road games this season.
SEATTLE is 12-3 ATS (+8.7 Units) in a road game where where the total is greater than or equal to 150 this season.
SEATTLE is 7-1 ATS (+5.9 Units) in road games against Eastern conference opponents this season.
SEATTLE is 11-3 ATS (+7.7 Units) after a non-conference game this season.
SEATTLE is 7-1 ATS (+5.9 Units) in road games in non-conference games this season.
SEATTLE is 13-5 ATS (+7.5 Units) after allowing 75 points or more this season.
SEATTLE is 10-3 ATS (+6.7 Units) in road games after scoring 75 points or more this season.
SEATTLE is 17-7 ATS (+9.3 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record after 15+ games over the last 3 seasons.
SEATTLE is 11-1 ATS (+9.9 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 77+ points/game after 15+ games this season.
SEATTLE is 15-6 ATS (+8.4 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 77+ points/game this season.
SEATTLE is 8-2 ATS (+5.8 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 77+ points/game after 15+ games this season.
SEATTLE is 13-6 ATS (+6.4 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 77+ points/game this season.
WASHINGTON is 326-384 ATS (-96.4 Units) in all games since 1997.
WASHINGTON is 9-19 ATS (-11.9 Units) as an underdog over the last 2 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 12-22 ATS (-12.2 Units) against Western conference opponents over the last 2 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 12-22 ATS (-12.2 Units) in non-conference games over the last 2 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 7-17 ATS (-11.7 Units) in home games revenging a loss versus opponent over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
WASHINGTON is 4-3 against the spread versus SEATTLE over the last 3 seasons
SEATTLE is 5-3 straight up against WASHINGTON 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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LOS ANGELES (18 - 11) at ATLANTA (19 - 10) - 8/9/2018, 7:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

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

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MINNESOTA (16 - 13) at LAS VEGAS (12 - 16) - 8/9/2018, 10:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
LAS VEGAS is 4-4 against the spread versus MINNESOTA over the last 3 seasons
MINNESOTA is 7-1 straight up against LAS VEGAS 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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WNBA

Thursday, August 9

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Trend Report
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Seattle Storm
Seattle is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games
Seattle is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
Seattle is 8-1 ATS in its last 9 games on the road
Seattle is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 10 of Seattle's last 15 games on the road
Seattle is 13-5 SU in its last 18 games when playing Washington
Seattle is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Washington
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Seattle's last 12 games when playing on the road against Washington
Washington Mystics
Washington is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Washington's last 8 games
Washington is 5-13 SU in its last 18 games when playing Seattle
Washington is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Seattle
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Washington's last 12 games when playing at home against Seattle


Los Angeles Sparks
Los Angeles is 5-10 ATS in its last 15 games
Los Angeles is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Los Angeles's last 5 games on the road
Los Angeles is 2-10-2 ATS in its last 14 games when playing Atlanta
Los Angeles is 7-14 SU in its last 21 games when playing Atlanta
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Los Angeles's last 5 games when playing Atlanta
Los Angeles is 1-7 ATS in its last 8 games when playing on the road against Atlanta
Los Angeles is 1-8 SU in its last 9 games when playing on the road against Atlanta
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Los Angeles's last 10 games when playing on the road against Atlanta
Atlanta Dream
Atlanta is 11-1 ATS in its last 12 games
Atlanta is 11-1 SU in its last 12 games
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Atlanta's last 9 games
Atlanta is 13-3-2 ATS in its last 18 games when playing Los Angeles
Atlanta is 14-7 SU in its last 21 games when playing Los Angeles
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Atlanta's last 5 games when playing Los Angeles
Atlanta is 7-1 ATS in its last 8 games when playing at home against Los Angeles
Atlanta is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games when playing at home against Los Angeles
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Atlanta's last 10 games when playing at home against Los Angeles


Minnesota Lynx
Minnesota is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Minnesota's last 11 games
Minnesota is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Minnesota's last 5 games on the road
Minnesota is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Las Vegas
Minnesota is 13-1 SU in its last 14 games when playing Las Vegas
Minnesota is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Las Vegas
Minnesota is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Las Vegas
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Minnesota's last 6 games when playing on the road against Las Vegas
Las Vegas Aces
Las Vegas is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games
Las Vegas is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Las Vegas's last 6 games
Las Vegas is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Las Vegas's last 11 games at home
Las Vegas is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Minnesota
Las Vegas is 8-14-1 ATS in its last 23 games when playing Minnesota
Las Vegas is 1-13 SU in its last 14 games when playing Minnesota
Las Vegas is 1-5-1 ATS in its last 7 games when playing at home against Minnesota
Las Vegas is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Minnesota
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Las Vegas's last 6 games when playing at home against Minnesota

[StarDust Bum]

Atlanta looks to continue 'dream' season versus Sparks

Atlanta has enjoyed a "dream" season so far in 2018, but the good feelings from clinching a playoff berth for the first time since 2016 were tempered a bit on Tuesday during the Dream's record-setting 109-100 win over Las Vegas.

Atlanta will look to keep its considerable momentum when it hosts the Los Angeles Sparks on Thursday in a key showdown at McCamish Pavilion on the campus of Georgia Tech University in Atlanta.

The Dream were awakened like a slap in the face when All-Star guard Angel McCoughtry went down with a left knee injury with about five minutes to play in Tuesday's victory.

McCoughtry was helped off the court by several teammates and didn't return. Atlanta finished off the game with a 16-6 run to win for the 11th time in 12 games and further cement its status in second-place in the league standings with about two weeks remaining in the regular season.

After the game, Atlanta coach Nicki Collen said McCoughtry would undergo further evaluation but added that the injury wasn't believed to be serious.

"Hopefully it's just a little bit of a hyperextension," Collen said. "We'll be smart with Angel and certainly not push her if she's not ready."

Elizabeth Williams and Alex Bentley each poured in 22 points while Tiffany Hayes added 21 for Atlanta (19-10) in the win over Las Vegas. The Dream shot 54 percent in the victory and established a franchise-record with its 109 points.

The Sparks (18-11), who have already clinched their seventh straight postseason berth, head to Atlanta after defeating New York 82-81 on Wednesday in Westchester County behind 19 points from Chelsea Gray.

Nneka Ogwumike added 18 points for Los Angeles while Candace Parker scored 13, Riquna Williams hit for 12 and Essence Carson tallied 10 for the Sparks. Free throws by Gray and Ogwumike in the final seconds proved the difference for Los Angeles, which was outshot 48 to 44 percent by the hapless Liberty and lost the rebounding battle 42-31.

Los Angeles, which is tied for third place and competing for one of the four spots that earn first-round playoff byes, has won three straight contests since losing to the Dream at home on July 24. Four of the Sparks' final five games are on the road.

The last three wins were achieved with center Ogwumike back in the lineup. She has totaled 47 points and 18 rebounds since returning from a three-game absence due to an illness.

"Every game for the rest of the season will have playoff implications, and there is still a lot of basketball to be played," Sparks coach Brian Agler told WNBA.com. "We're glad to have everybody back, and hopefully, we can keep moving forward."

The teams have split their two games so far this season -- both of which were played in Los Angeles -- with the Sparks winning 72-64 on June 12 and Atlanta capturing a 81-71 victory two weeks 17 days ago.

The Dream leads the overall series between the two teams 15-8, with an 8-3 edge in games played in Atlanta.

[StarDust Bum]

Las Vegas looks to end skid against Minnesota

With only five games to go in the regular season, the Las Vegas Aces find themselves backed into a corner.

They have lost four straight, including Friday's forfeit loss to Washington, to fall 2 1/2 games behind Dallas for the final playoff spot.

The forfeit, which was announced by the WNBA on Tuesday, was the first in the league's 22-year history and surprised many.

And now the Aces play host to the Minnesota Lynx on Thursday at Mandalay Bay Events Center on the Las Vegas Strip.

"Our entire organization has the utmost respect for the very difficult decision our players made, and we stand with them," Las Vegas coach Bill Laimbeer said in a statement. "We are disappointed with the league's decision, but our focus is now on winning as many games as we can in our drive for our first playoff appearance."

The decision not to play after a 25-hour cross-country trek might cost the Aces a spot in the playoffs, but more importantly it put the national spotlight on treatment of women players versus men and the issues the league has had to face concerning scheduling and traveling.

Connecticut guard Layshia Clarendon, the first vice president of the WNBA executive committee, as well as many other players defended the Aces' decision not to play and expressed hope that it might lead to changes in travel.

The Aces (12-17) are prepared to move on and try to get back on the winning track. They're coming off a nine-point loss to Atlanta on Tuesday. Las Vegas has given up more than 100 points in three straight games.

A'ja Wilson reached double figures in scoring for the 28th straight time to start her career. Kayla McBride scored in double figures for the 24th time this season, including the 23rd straight.

To snap their skid, all the Aces have to do on Thursday is defeat the defending champion Lynx, who at 16-13 have had an up-and-down season. The Lynx can clinch a playoff spot with a win in Las Vegas.

"I think we know that we can compete with anyone," Aces guard Kelsey Plum said after scoring 20 points and dishing out a career-high 13 assists in the 109-100 loss to Atlanta. "This league is so good from top to bottom. You have to come every night with your A-game or you're going to get beat."

Minnesota and Las Vegas have split their first two meetings this season, with each winning on the other's court.

After losing three straight, the Lynx got back in the win column with an 85-64 win over Chicago on Tuesday. Maya Moore scored 31 points and Sylvia Fowles recorded a double-double with 15 points and 11 boards.

Minnesota was without two starters -- Lindsay Whalen (rest) and Rebekkah Brunson (broken nose).

"I thought our communication was really good, which helps when you have some unusual lineups," Moore told the Minneapolis Star Tribune. "That caused us to focus more."

The Lynx defense was stellar, holding the Sky to 34 percent from the field, Minnesota's best showing of the season. In their win over Las Vegas on June 24, the Lynx held the Aces to 41 percent from the field and Moore led four players in double figures with 23 points.

When Las Vegas beat the Lynx on July 13, the plan was "to try to run players at (Fowles) and take her out of her comfort zone," Laimbeer explained.

The Aces' game plan didn't surprise Minnesota coach Cheryl Reeve.

"It's nothing that we haven't seen from other teams. They were pretty persistent and it's that game that we had in terms of our impatience. We didn't have balance. We didn't wait for screens, didn't set screens and didn't have aggression from our perimeter players."

Wilson struggled in that game, but the Aces proved two things: They are capable of putting together a balanced offense and they aren't intimidated by the Lynx.

"It came from everywhere," McBride said. "I thought Tamera Young hit some huge shots. Carolyn Swords had 11 and 11. Plum hit some big threes. Moriah Jefferson had a 5-0 spurt. It came from everybody, and to beat a good team like Minnesota you have to have some come from everybody. It is not just going to be one or two players that can beat them. I thought it was a great win on the road."

Coming into Thursday's game, the Lynx average 78.2 points, third lowest in the league, while the Aces score nearly six more per game than Minnesota.