Cnotes 2018 wnba picks,trends,notes,news !

[StarDust Bum]

WNBA
Dunkel

Tuesday, August 14


Dallas @ Connecticut

Game 611-612
August 14, 2018 @ 7:05 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Dallas
106.964
Connecticut
113.904
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Connecticut
by 7
173
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Connecticut
by 10
176 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Dallas
(+10); Under

Chicago @ Minnesota

Game 613-614
August 14, 2018 @ 8:05 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Chicago
106.161
Minnesota
109.922
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Minnesota
by 4
154
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Minnesota
by 9 1/2
163
Dunkel Pick:
Chicago
(+9 1/2); Under

New York @ Los Angeles

Game 615-616
August 14, 2018 @ 10:35 pm

Dunkel Rating:
New York
97.569
Los Angeles
115.361
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Los Angeles
by 18
159
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Los Angeles
by 14
157
Dunkel Pick:
Los Angeles
(-14); Over

[StarDust Bum]

Wings cling to last playoff spot entering game with Sun
The Associated Press

It was just last week that the Connecticut Sun won in Dallas and clinched a spot in the WNBA playoffs.

On Tuesday night in Uncasville, Conn., the teams meet again -- and the floundering Wings, fighting to stay alive for the last playoff spot, have a new coach.

On Sunday, after the Wings lost their eighth straight game and barely holding onto the eighth and final spot, team president/general manager Greg Bibb fired coach Fred Williams and replaced him for the rest of the season with assistant Taj McWilliams-Franklin.

There was an altercation between Williams and Bibb after the game and a change was made.

"Following today's game, I made the decision to change direction in regards to our head coaching position," Bibb said in a release. "I felt this move was necessary. The season has not met our expectations. I have asked Taj to serve as our interim head coach and I have the upmost confidence that she and our staff will do everything possible to put us in the best position to win.

"I wish Fred the best moving forward. Our focus remains on qualifying for the playoffs and ultimately competing for a WNBA championship."

Williams told ESPN: "I just really put my heart and soul into this organization. We've struggled lately but played hard and are still in the playoff picture.

"But there was a little altercation after the game. It's just one of those things that happened. I can only wish the Dallas Wings the best going forward. I wish I could have taken them to the end and seen where the journey ends up."

The Wings (14-17) remained a game ahead of the Las Vegas Aces, who were saddled with a forfeit after not playing a game in Washington following travel difficulties. The teams play Friday night in Arlington, Texas, and the Wings end their season on Sunday at Seattle.

Dallas has been without WNBA scoring leader Liz Cambage, who injured her neck on a backward fall that resulted from getting tied up with the Sun's Janquel Jones last week.

While the Wings are just trying to hang on, the Sun (18-13) have won six of their last seven games and still have designs on moving into seeded spots in the final standings.

Connecticut opened a season-ending four-game homestand with an 82-75 victory over Chicago on Sunday that eliminated the Sky from the playoff picture.

The Sun are tied with the Los Angeles Sparks for fourth place, a spot that earns a first-round bye and a second-round playoff game.

The top two seeds in the standings get byes right through to the semifinals. Numbers 3 and 4 automatically advance to the second round, where they will meet the winners of the 5/8 and 6/7 games.

Jasmine Thomas overcame shooting problems down the stretch and Jones and Chiney Ogwumike combined for 29 of their team's 50 rebounds in Sunday's Sun victory. A late 14-0 run put the game away.

"She has the competitiveness and the fire that we need," Sun coach Curt Miller said of Thomas. "Jas really competed there at the end, stayed aggressive, and you could see the determination. When she gets that determination, not all her shots go in, but good things happen."

Courtney Williams scored 22 points and Jones had 17 points to go with her 15 rebounds for the Sun.

The Sun are 2-0 with two road wins over the Wings this season.

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Lynx's lineup tinkering may continue against Sky
The Associated Press

The Minnesota Lynx have just three games remaining before the playoffs, but it's not too late for coach Cheryl Reeve to make some changes.

Reeve is dealing with injuries and age as her team prepares to host the Chicago Sky on Tuesday at the Target Center in Minneapolis.

In Sunday's loss to first-place Seattle, Minnesota (17-14), which was without forward Rebekkah Brunson (concussion) and point guard Danielle Robinson (ankle sprain), began the game with Lindsay Whalen on the bench.

"We're trying to find ourselves as we head into the playoffs," Reeve said after the game. "And we're trying to find what we're going to look like."

Tanisha Wright started in place of Whalen, who came off the bench.

It was the first time since her WNBA debut 14 years ago that Whalen did not start a game in which she played.

The veteran point guard, who was rested during road wins over Chicago and Las Vegas the previous two games, supported her coach's decision.

"If it's what's best for the team, that's what I'll do," Whalen said, according to the (Minneapolis) Star Tribune. "I'm always going to support Coach's decision. I'll just try to have a positive impact on the team."

Whalen announced Monday that she will retire at season's end. In the spring, Whalen became the head coach at her alma mater, the University of Minnesota.

"I'm so lucky to have been a part of such a great career," Reeve said at a press conference Monday afternoon. "I feel so blessed to have been on the sidelines and had a seat to this."

"You believed in me and you believed in what I could do," Whalen replied.

Minnesota, which closes out the regular season at Connecticut on Friday and at home against Washington on Sunday, dropped to seventh place after the loss to Seattle. But the Lynx are just one game out of fourth.

The top four seeds in the WNBA playoffs receive byes for the single-elimination first round.

Minnesota star Maya Moore said her team needs to respond better to on-court adversity.

"We just have to keep pushing through the tough stretches," Moore said. "We have to be able to put together offensive and defensive combos together to get runs. You have to put scores together. We didn't do that tonight."

The Sky (11-20) were officially eliminated from playoff contention with a 82-75 loss to the Connecticut Sun on Sunday.

Chicago never recovered from a six-game losing streak in June that left it six games below .500. The Sky have experienced four skids of at least three games.

It has been a tough season for rookie Gabby Williams, who didn't taste defeat much at the University of Connecticut.

"Going from a program where we only lost a few games, winning is almost expected, and now it's hard," Williams told The UConn Blog on Sunday. "So it definitely has been a big adjustment. I think the mindset is just trying to rebuild this team."

The Sky have home-and-home matchups with the last-place Indiana Fever to wrap up the season. The finale is Sunday in Chicago.

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Sparks play for playoff positioning against Liberty
The Associated Press

This is what the Los Angeles Sparks know:

There are three games left in the regular season.

Tuesday's game against the New York Liberty is their last home game until the postseason.

They've already clinched a spot in the postseason, which starts Aug. 21.

Who the Sparks play in the postseason, where they will start the postseason, and when is up in the air.

One other thing the Sparks know, is if they don't play better than they have in their past 10 games (5-5 record), their run to two straight WNBA Finals will end.

Los Angeles (18-13) and Connecticut are tied in fourth place. Phoenix sits 1/2 game behind and arch-nemesis Minnesota is a full game behind the Sparks.

And with New York coming to Staples Center with the second-worst mark in the league at 7-23, Los Angeles would seem to have the upper hand.

Well ... the last time the Sparks tasted victory was Wednesday in New York when they outscored the Liberty in the fourth quarter for an 82-81 win.

Sparks coach Brian Agler said his team really controls its own destiny.

"It's an optimistic viewpoint, but the reality is we have to do things better on the court. I just don't see us, at this moment, doing that on a consistent basis," Agler said. "So, whether we find that, I don't know. Has this core group done it before? Yes they have, but we've been inconsistent with that this year."

Agler would love to see the Sparks come close to the type of performance they displayed in win over the Liberty on June 24. The Sparks held Tina Charles to 10 points, and the Liberty shot just 38.3 percent from the field and scored a league-low 54 points.

Don't be deceived -- the Sparks are more than capable of playing that kind of defensive against anyone, including most recently, Minnesota.

After holding the Lynx to 57 points on Aug. 2, Candace Parker talked about how their defense might be able to carry them through the postseason.

"I think, defensively, we were on point," Parker said. "We were helping each other, we didn't give them anything easy. Even when they scored, it worked for. I think, for us, that's what we need to do and want to do."

Nobody in New York envisioned a season like this for first-year heafd coach Katie Smith. The Liberty have lost nine straight and at 7-23 have snapped a run of three straight seasons with 20-plus wins.

Future Hall of Famer Tina Charles has taken this year's struggles personally and promises to give 100 percent until the final second of the regular season.

"I never take it for granted," she said. "Playing for the New York Liberty is an honor. I hold this jersey and organization near and dear to my heart. I always just try and seize the moment.

"We are just going to go out there and try to win some games. We are going to continue to get better, be coachable, listen to the coaching staff, and pay attention to detail. We have to take it one game at a time."

New York is coming off a nine-point loss to Atlanta on Sunday. And despite the disappointment of winning only seven games, Smith sees a silver lining in her first year.

"I feel comfortable. I want to keep learning. The conversations, the relationships, game planning," she said. "I feel very comfortable and willing to adjust. Next year's going to be a whole new ballgame."

Similarly, the Sparks are also heading into Tuesday's game after suffering a 12-point loss to Phoenix on Sunday.

Parker scored a team-high 23 points, including the first 12 to open the game but was held scoreless in the fourth quarter.

[StarDust Bum]

TUESDAY, AUGUST 14
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

DAL at CONN 07:00 PM
CONN -9.5
O 176.0

CHI at MIN 08:00 PM
MIN -9.5
O 162.5

NY at LA 10:30 PM
NY +14.0
U 156.0

[StarDust Bum]

Vandersloot sets record as Sky tops Lynx
August 14, 2018

LOS ANGELES (AP) Chelsea Gray scored a career-high 26 points, Nneka Ogwumike had 20 points and eight rebounds, and the Los Angeles Sparks beat the New York Liberty 74-66 on Tuesday night.

Los Angeles (19-13) is tied with Connecticut for the fourth playoff spot - with the Sun holding the tiebreaker. The teams face off Sunday to end the regular reason.

Candace Parker added 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Sparks. She passed Swin Cash for 11th on the WNBA career rebounding list with 2,530.

Los Angeles took a 67-61 lead with 6:08 remaining but didn't make its next field goal until Ogwumike's layup at 1:46. Gray sank a pullup jumper, beating the shot clock, to make it 72-66 with 44.2 seconds to go and New York turned it over on its next possession.

Tina Charles had 21 points and seven rebounds for New York (7-24).

SKY 91, LYNX 88

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Courtney Vandersloot hit two free throws with 2.2 seconds left and broke the WNBA's single-season assists record, helping the Sky to the road win.

Vandersloot set the record on a no-look, one-handed pass in the third quarter that gave her 237 assists, breaking Ticha Penicheiro's mark set in 2000.

Rookie Diamond DeShields scored a season-best 28 points for Chicago (12-20). Vandersloot had 16 points and 10 assists.

Allie Quigley spun in the lane and made a runner to put Chicago ahead 89-88 with 57.9 seconds left. Lindsay Whalen had a jumper rattle out at the other end.

Minnesota called a timeout with 19.7 seconds to go, but didn't get off a shot as Vandersloot grabbed a loose ball and hit two free throws. DeShields blocked Alexis Jones' 3-pointer just before the buzzer.

Maya Moore scored 21 points for Minnesota (17-15), and Sylvia Fowles had 19 points and 13 rebounds for her sixth straight double-double. Fowles became the sixth player in WNBA history to grab 3,000 rebounds.

SUN 96, WINGS 76

UNCASVILLE, Conn. (AP) - Jonquel Jones had 27 points and 10 rebounds, and the Sun beat the Wings to spoil the head-coaching debut of Taj McWilliams-Franklin.

McWilliams-Franklin was named interim coach on Sunday after Fred Williams was fired.

Connecticut (19-13) has won seven of eight.

Chiney Ogwumike added 13 points for the Sun and Morgan Tuck had 12. Jones was 4 of 6 from 3-point range in her second straight double-double.

Jones scored 16 points in the first half to help Connecticut build a 50-38 lead. The Sun's reserves had 44 points at intermission.

Allisha Gray scored 18 points for Dallas (14-18), and Skylar Diggins-Smith had 17 points and eight assists. The Wings have lost nine straight games, jeopardizing a playoff spot that once seemed secure.

[StarDust Bum]

SCHEDULE FOR WEDNESDAY AUGUST 15, 2018
Time (ET) Away Home Site
7:05 PM Washington Mystics Indiana Fever Bankers Life Fieldhouse
10:05 PM New York Liberty Las Vegas Aces Mandalay Bay Event Center


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DATE W-L-T % UNITS RECORD

08/14/2018 4-2-0 66.67% +9.00
08/12/2018 3-7-0 30.00% -23.50
08/11/2018 1-3-0 25.00% -11.50
08/10/2018 4-0-0 100.00% +20.00
08/09/2018 1-3-0 25.00% -11.50
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.........29-33-0........46.77%.....-36.50


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

08/14/2018..................2 - 1............ +4.50.................2 - 1..................+4.50............+9.00
08/12/2018..................2 - 3.............-6.50..................1 - 4..................-17.00............-23.50
08/11/2018..................1 - 1.............-0.50..................0 - 2..................-11.00............-11.50
08/10/2018..................2 - 0............+10.00................2 - 0..................+10.00..........+20.00
08/09/2018..................1 - 1.............-0.50..................0 - 2..................-11.00............-11.50
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......................15 - 16..........-13.00................14 - 15...............-23.50.............-36.50

[StarDust Bum]

Wednesday’s 6-pack

Odds to win the Wyndham golf tournament this week:

12-1— Webb Simpson

14-1— Henrik Stenson

16-1— Hideki Matsuyama

18-1— Rafael Cabrera-Bello

25-1— Berger, Lowry, Niemann, Snedeker

30-1— Garcia, Henley, Horschel, Moore

Quote of the Day
“Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.”
William Congreve, 1697

Wednesday’s quiz
Who is the only current major leaguer whose first name and last name are both state capitals?

Tuesday’s quiz
Matt Nagy (Bears), Jay Gruden (Redskins) are NFL head coaches who used to play QB in the Arena League.

Monday’s quiz
Oregon Ducks play their home games in Autzen Stadium.

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

13) What does it take to get fired at Ohio State?

The Ohio State assistant football coach who didn’t get fired after his ex-wife accused him of domestic violence in 2015, had been arrested two years earlier on a DUI charge- the judge in the DUI case was a member of the Ohio State President’s Club, and the coach got slapped on the wrist.

Go figure.

The assistant coach has finally been fired, by the way.

12) Obviously, there isn’t enough good news in the world, so it is my pleasure to tell you that on August 27, Weird Al Yankovic will be getting a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

The ceremony is free and open to the public; if you’re in the LA area, what else have you got to do on a Monday morning (11:30am)?

11) In his career, Clayton Kershaw has thrown 318.1 innings against the Giants; his ERA in those innings is a paltry 1.58.

10) If you play fantasy football, this might help you at your draft. Judging from stuff you read about the Cowboys, they’re emphasizing fade routes to the corner of the end zone this summer, which means more passes to WR’s than tight ends, now that Jason Witten has retired.

9) Speaking of which, must be serious money in fantasy football, seeing how ESPN ran a 27-hour fantasy football marathon this week, mostly on ESPN2, signing up around 1.5 million teams to play this season.

8) This from agent Tom O’Connell; his client (Phillies’ P) Zach Eflin is “being demoted” to AAA, even though he really isn’t, its a procedural thing. He won’t miss a turn in the majors, but he loses $20,000 in salary and nine days of major league service time because of it.

“While this transaction on the surface seems purely administrative, it caught us by surprise and is tremendously disappointing. Major-league starters have a strict routine that they adhere to that allows them to be successful; this roster move affects that. While the club may feel that they are doing what’s best for the organization, they also lose sight of the human element and how it will affect the player.”

Phillies did same thing with Nick Pivetta last year; I hope they’re reimbursing the guys after the season. Otherwise, they’re creating ill will over what amounts to pocket change (for them).

7) Ronald Acuna hit leadoff homers in both games of the Braves’ doubleheader Monday; he is only 4th player ever to do that, joining Brady Anderson in 1999, Rickey Henderson in 1993.

Before that, only time it was done was way back in 1913.

6) In baseball, 47% of replay challenges result in reversals.

If someone had told me before instant replay started in baseball that 47% of calls would be overturned, I wouldn’t have believed them. Despite the delays, instant replay obviously has value, because getting calls right is good for the game.

5) Baseball doings:
— New York (A) put CC Sabathia (knee) on the DL
— White Sox 2B Yoan Moncada (root canal) missed Tuesday night’s game
— Indians’ P Trevor Bauer is on DL; he broke a bone in his leg when he was hit with a line drive in his last start.

4) For the first time in his career, golfer Sergio Garcia missed the cut in all four majors in one year. Not going when you’re trying to get named to the Ryder Cup team.

3) Random stat: Major league hitters miss on 22.9% of their swings.

2) Former big leaguer Tom Paciorek subs as the analyst on White Sox games; he seems like a very nice guy, also kind of funny. Fun to listen to. He subs for Steve Stone, who is also very good, very smart, but not a funny guy.

1) Good advice from motivational writer Jon Gordon:

“No matter what anyone says, just show up and do the work.
If they praise you, show up and do the work.
If they criticize you, show up and do the work.
If no one even notices you, just show up and do the work.
Just keep showing up, doing the work, and leading the way…….”

[StarDust Bum]

WNBA

Wednesday, August 15

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Trend Report
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Washington Mystics
Washington is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games
Washington is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Washington's last 10 games
Washington is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Washington's last 7 games on the road
Washington is 7-3 ATS in its last 10 games when playing Indiana
Washington is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Indiana
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Washington's last 5 games when playing Indiana
Washington is 7-2-1 ATS in its last 10 games when playing on the road against Indiana
Washington is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Indiana
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Washington's last 7 games when playing on the road against Indiana
Indiana Fever
Indiana is 4-14 ATS in its last 18 games
Indiana is 4-16 SU in its last 20 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Indiana's last 7 games
Indiana is 3-7 ATS in its last 10 games when playing Washington
Indiana is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing Washington
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Indiana's last 5 games when playing Washington
Indiana is 2-7-1 ATS in its last 10 games when playing at home against Washington
Indiana is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Washington
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Indiana's last 7 games when playing at home against Washington


New York Liberty
New York is 3-7 ATS in its last 10 games
New York is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 6 of New York's last 8 games
New York is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games on the road
New York is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Las Vegas
New York is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games when playing Las Vegas
The total has gone OVER in 4 of New York's last 6 games when playing Las Vegas
New York is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games when playing on the road against Las Vegas
The total has gone OVER in 4 of New York's last 5 games when playing on the road against Las Vegas
Las Vegas Aces
Las Vegas is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games
Las Vegas is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games
Las Vegas is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games when playing New York
Las Vegas is 3-7 SU in its last 10 games when playing New York
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Las Vegas's last 6 games when playing New York
Las Vegas is 6-2 ATS in its last 8 games when playing at home against New York
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Las Vegas's last 5 games when playing at home against New York

[StarDust Bum]

WNBA
Long Sheet

Wednesday, August 15

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WASHINGTON (19 - 11) at INDIANA (5 - 26) - 8/15/2018, 7:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
WASHINGTON is 50-73 ATS (-30.3 Units) in road games in August or September games since 1997.
WASHINGTON is 26-44 ATS (-22.4 Units) in road games when playing with 2 days rest since 1997.
WASHINGTON is 10-3 ATS (+6.7 Units) after a non-conference game this season.
WASHINGTON is 19-10 ATS (+8.0 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 2 seasons.
INDIANA is 10-20 ATS (-12.0 Units) in all games this season.
INDIANA is 10-18 ATS (-9.8 Units) as an underdog this season.
INDIANA is 3-12 ATS (-10.2 Units) in home games this season.
INDIANA is 3-12 ATS (-10.2 Units) in a home game where where the total is greater than or equal to 150 this season.
INDIANA is 3-11 ATS (-9.1 Units) revenging a home loss versus opponent this season.
INDIANA is 8-15 ATS (-8.5 Units) after allowing 75 points or more this season.
INDIANA is 2-8 ATS (-6.8 Units) in home games when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
INDIANA is 3-12 ATS (-10.2 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 77+ points/game after 15+ games this season.
INDIANA is 6-15 ATS (-10.5 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 77+ points/game this season.
INDIANA is 3-11 ATS (-9.1 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 77+ points/game after 15+ games this season.
INDIANA is 6-15 ATS (-10.5 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 77+ points/game this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
WASHINGTON is 6-3 against the spread versus INDIANA over the last 3 seasons
WASHINGTON is 8-1 straight up against INDIANA over the last 3 seasons
5 of 9 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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NEW YORK (7 - 24) at LAS VEGAS (13 - 17) - 8/15/2018, 10:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
NEW YORK is 7-16 ATS (-10.6 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 77+ points/game this season.
NEW YORK is 8-16 ATS (-9.6 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 77+ points/game this season.
LAS VEGAS is 22-10 ATS (+11.0 Units) against Eastern conference opponents over the last 2 seasons.
LAS VEGAS is 22-10 ATS (+11.0 Units) in non-conference games over the last 2 seasons.
NEW YORK is 50-31 ATS (+15.9 Units) after 3 or more consecutive losses since 1997.
LAS VEGAS is 49-73 ATS (-31.3 Units) in home games after scoring 75 points or more since 1997.

Head-to-Head Series History
LAS VEGAS is 7-1 against the spread versus NEW YORK over the last 3 seasons
NEW YORK is 5-3 straight up against LAS VEGAS 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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WNBA
Dunkel

Wednesday, August 15


Washington @ Indiana

Game 301-302
August 15, 2018 @ 7:05 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Washington
116.279
Indiana
100.856
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Washington
by 15 1/2
161
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Washington
by 10 1/2
164 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Washington
(-10 1/2); Under

New York @ Las Vegas

Game 303-304
August 15, 2018 @ 10:05 pm

Dunkel Rating:
New York
97.548
Las Vegas
111.350
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Las Vegas
by 14
164
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Las Vegas
by 10 1/2
171
Dunkel Pick:
Las Vegas
(-10 1/2); Under

[StarDust Bum]

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 15
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

WAS at IND 07:00 PM
WAS -11.0
U 164.0

NY at LV 10:00 PM
LV -10.5
O 169.0

[StarDust Bum]

Elena Delle Donne has 25 points, Mystics beat Fever 76-62
August 15, 2018

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) Elena Delle Donne scored 25 points, Kristi Toliver added 19 and the Washington Mystics used an 18-2 fourth quarter to beat the Indiana Fever 76-62 on Wednesday night.

Washington (21-11) has won seven straight and is one game behind second-place Atlanta (22-10), with the top two seeds getting double-byes in the playoffs.

Monique Currie added 14 points. She made back-to-back 3-pointers to start Washington's 12-2 game-opening run. The Mystics were 5 of 6 from 3-point range in the first quarter and finished 9 of 22.

Natalie Achonwa led Indiana (5-27) with 15 points. Candice Dupree added eight points and became the ninth player in WNBA history to reach 6,000 points.

ACES 85, LIBERTY 72

LAS VEGAS (AP) - A'ja Wilson had 18 of her 19 points in the first half, Kayla McBride scored all 15 of her points in the fourth quarter and Las Vegas beat short-handed New York to move into a tie for the final playoff spot.

Las Vegas (14-18) and Dallas are tied for eighth - with a series meeting Friday in Texas. The Wings own the tiebreaker.

Kia Nurse and Bria Hartley scored 14 points apiece for New York (7-25). Liberty scoring leader Tina Charles did not play because of back spasms. Shavonte Zellous, Amanda Zahui B. and Epiphanny Prince also sat out.

[StarDust Bum]

date w-l-t % units record

08/15/2018 3-1-0 75.00% +9.50
08/14/2018 4-2-0 66.67% +9.00
08/12/2018 3-7-0 30.00% -23.50
08/11/2018 1-3-0 25.00% -11.50
08/10/2018 4-0-0 100.00% +20.00
08/09/2018 1-3-0 25.00% -11.50
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.........32-34-0........48.48%.....-27.00


best bets.....................ats.............units.... ............o/u...................units.............total

08/15/2018..................2 - 0 ............+10.00...............1 - 1...................-0.50.............+9.50
08/14/2018..................2 - 1............ +4.50.................2 - 1..................+4.50............+9.00
08/12/2018..................2 - 3.............-6.50..................1 - 4..................-17.00............-23.50
08/11/2018..................1 - 1.............-0.50..................0 - 2..................-11.00............-11.50
08/10/2018..................2 - 0............+10.00................2 - 0..................+10.00..........+20.00
08/09/2018..................1 - 1.............-0.50..................0 - 2..................-11.00............-11.50
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......................17 - 16..........-4.00................15 - 16...................-23.00.............-27.00

[StarDust Bum]

Thursday’s 6-pack

From ***********: The six worst baseball teams to bet on this season:

30. Orioles (36-84) $-4,084

29. Royals (36-83) $-3,169

28. Dodgers (64-57) $-2,614

27. Nationals (60-60) $-2,182

26. White Sox (43-76) $-1,790

25. Mets (50-67) $-1,718

Quote of the Day
“I think (Josh) Allen is trash. I don’t care what nobody say. He’s trash. And it’s gonna show too. That’s a stupid draft pick to me. We play them this year, and I’m excited as hell. I hope he’s their starting quarterback. He played at Wyoming. Every time they played a big school — like, they played Iowa State, which is not a big school in my opinion because I went to Florida State, and he threw five interceptions, and they lost by a couple touchdowns or something like that. He never beat a big school…..”
Jaguars CB Jalen Ramsey…..I’m sure Tom Coughlin loved reading this

Thursday’s quiz
Eldrick Woods won the 1997 Masters and his first PGA Tour money title; what golfer won the money title the year before, in 1996?
(Hint: He still plays on the Senior Tour)

Wednesday’s quiz
Mets’ OF Austin Jackson is the only current major leaguer whose first name and last name are both state capitals.

Tuesday’s quiz
Matt Nagy (Bears), Jay Gruden (Redskins) are NFL head coaches who used to play QB in the Arena League.

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

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

13) By the end of the week, Colorado Rockies will have played their last 46 games against teams with an above .500 record, which will tie the all-time NL record. The all-time major league record is 51 games in a row.

Rockies play San Diego on Tuesday, which will end their streak.

12) Umpire Joe West has now worked 5,164 major league games, passing Bruce Froemming for second place on the all-time list.

Bill Kelm holds the all-time record, at 5,369.

11) Long time ago (1989-90), I worked in a county courthouse for 10 months; my job was a court assistant, swearing in witnesses, keeping track of evidence, stuff like that.

One of the things I remember hearing people say around the courthouse was this: In a criminal trial, the jury (for the most part) wants to see the defendant get on the stand and say he or she is not guilty. If the defendant does not do that, it generally is bad news for him/her.

10) Chicago Cubs have used 33 pitchers this season, most in the majors; five of the 33 guys are position players.

9) New Jersey’s three casinos and two racetracks took in $40.6M in sports bets in July, the first full month sports wagering was legal in the Garden State.

New York took in zero dollars, because their politicians have their heads up their butts.

8) Mets got off to an 11-1 start this year, but are now 50-67; there’s a chance they could wind up with the worst record ever, for a team that started out 11-1.

Right now, the ’02 Indians hold that mark- they finished 74-88 after their 11-1 start.

7) Modern baseball: Oakland A’s went from June 10-August 11 without any of their starting pitches getting an out after the 7th inning.

The ’89 A’s threw 17 complete games; the ’74 A’s threw 49 complete games.

6) One odd part of Hard Knocks so far was in the first episode, when Hue Jackson was telling his offensive coordinator Todd Haley that WR Josh Gordon would be out of camp for a while. Haley asked why he would be out, and Jackson wouldn’t tell him.

Now maybe/probably Jackson didn’t want the answer on camera/national TV and he told Haley when they were off camera. but maybe he didn’t, and that would be unusual.

5) Ever hear of Gale Gilbert? He was a journeyman QB who started four NFL games (0-4) in an 11-year career that included stops in Seattle, Buffalo, San Diego.

The thing is this; Gilbert was the #3 QB in Buffalo during their 49-15 run from 1990-93, when they won the AFC title all four years, but lost all four Super Bowls. Then Gilbert moved on to San Diego in 1994; Chargers started that season 0-4, then won the AFC West and the AFC title before getting crushed in the Super Bowl.

Gilbert is the only player to go to the Super Bowl five years in a row; his son Garrett Gilbert is listed as the #2 QB on the Carolina Panthers’ depth chart this year.

4) Furman QB Harris Roberts is enrolled in a cooperative educational partnership program between Furman and Clemson that has allowed him to continue playing for the Paladins while pursuing an engineering degree at Clemson. The schools are 30 miles apart.

Furman’s first football game this season is against……..Clemson, so the Tigers will be facing a QB who goes to their own engineering school.

3) Last week, LSU had a 4-way QB competition; today, two of those four guys have transferred out of Baton Rouge, leaving sophomore Myles Brennan and Ohio State transfer Joe Burrow to battle it out for the starting job, with not a whole lot of depth behind them.

To twist around an old quote by Garry Templeton, the Padres’ shortstop a long time ago, “If I ain’t starting, then I’ll be departing.” Could be a similar situation at Alabama pretty soon.

2) From ***********: the six best teams to bet on this season (thru Tuesday)

1. Red Sox (86-35) +$3,384
2. A’s (72-48) +$3,002
3. Braves (67-51) +$1,994
4. Mariners (69-52) +$1,219
5. Phillies (65-53) +$1,198
6. Brewers (68-54) +$1,092

1) Political/reality show trivia: Omarosa Manigault also worked in Vice President Al Gore’s office during the Clinton administration. Gore’s office administrator, Mary Margaret Overbey, said that Omarosa “was the worst hire we ever made”.

Finally, Democrats and Republicans agree on something.

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo: Friday's six-pack

Odds on SEC QB to pass for the most yards this season:

2-1- Drew Lock, Missouri

3-1- Jordan Ta’amu, Ole Miss

6-1- Jake Bentley, South Carolina

8-1- Jake Fromm, Georgia and Jarrett Stidham, Auburn

12-1- Nick Fitzgerald, Miss State, Tua Tagovailia, Alabama

20-1- Kyle Shurmur, Vanderbilt, Nick Starkel, Texas A&M

**********

Armadillo: Friday's List of 13: Random stuff with the weekend here……

13) 14 of 32 NFL teams have a new offensive coordinator this season; 10 teams have new defensive coordinators.

Two offensive coordinators are coming in from the college ranks, and that should be interesting; former Oregon coach Mark Helfrich is the Bears’ new OC and Brian Daboll comes in from Alabama to run the Buffalo Bills’ offense.

12) When the AAF debuts next spring, the 8-team football league will have well-known head coaches: Steve Spurrier, Mike Martz, Dennis Erickson, but the most interesting coach might be Michael Vick, who will be an offensive coordinator in the new league next spring.

11) There are eight special teams coaches in the NFL who have been with their current team longer than the head coach of that team. Thats 25% of the league.

10) Tampa Bay 3, New York 1— Spunky Rays are 62-59, and 8-7 against their divisional rivals from the Bronx.

Hitters 6-9 in the New York lineup Thursday are hitting: .218, .211, .170, .129

9) Last I checked, the Westgate NFL handicapping SuperContest had 911 entries. Contest had around 2,800 entries last year- they think it will wind up with around 3,300-3,500 entrants at $1,500 a pop— first prize will over $1M, all for picking five NFL games a week and doing it better than anyone else.

8) Duke and Kentucky had the best basketball recruiting classes this year, because they always do— who else gets their summer tour games shown on ESPN? Sports Illustrated was suggesting this week that Oregon may have the third-best recruiting class in the country this season, so that will be interesting to follow.

7) One of the better scenes in Hard Knocks so far was QB Tyrod Taylor telling coach Hue Jackson to call out players who aren’t hustling in practice, while showing film of them not hustling. Easy to visualize Taylor being a coach someday.

6) When the Mets went from Baltimore to Philadelphia after Wednesday night’s game, they flew the 90-mile trip instead of taking a bus or the train. The flight took 19 minutes.

5) Dodgers 2B Brian Dozier blamed some allergy medicine for making him dizzy; pitcher Ross Stripling blamed a soft hotel bed at the Ritz-Carlton for his sore back. No wonder football players get annoyed that they don’t have guaranteed contracts but baseball players do.

4) Miami Dolphins coach Adam Gase started a program this offseason to bring high school and youth teams to see the Dolphins practice. More than 1,800 kids have taken advantage of this and have seen Miami practice/work out. Good for the Dolphins. Good for the kids.

3) WHIP is a baseball stat that measures baserunners a pitcher allowed (Walks + Hits divided by Innings Pitched). Whats weird about the stat is that hit batters are not included, and they should be, moreso than an intentional walk, which isn’t the pitcher’s fault.

2) Cardinals’ 1B Matt Carpenter hurt his hand Wednesday; x-rays were negative. Carpenter proved to the Cardinals’ trainer that his hand was OK by opening a jar of salsa in the clubhouse.

1) Colorado State football coach Mike Bobo, 44, is being treated for peripheral neuropathy.

According to the Mayo Clinic’s website, peripheral neuropathy is “a result of damage to your peripheral nerves, often causes weakness, numbness and pain, usually in your hands and feet. It can also affect other areas of your body. … Peripheral neuropathy can result from traumatic injuries, infections, metabolic problems, inherited causes and exposure to toxins.”

We wish Coach Bobo well in his recovery.