The Bums 2019 WNBA News - Notes - Picks Thru The Playoffs !

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WNBA
Long Sheet

Friday, June 14

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SEATTLE (4 - 3) at WASHINGTON (4 - 2) - 6/14/2019, 7:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
WASHINGTON is 5-3 against the spread versus SEATTLE over the last 3 seasons
SEATTLE is 6-3 straight up against WASHINGTON 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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CONNECTICUT (6 - 1) at MINNESOTA (4 - 3) - 6/14/2019, 8:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
CONNECTICUT is 5-1 against the spread versus MINNESOTA over the last 3 seasons
CONNECTICUT is 4-2 straight up against MINNESOTA over the last 3 seasons
4 of 6 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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LOS ANGELES (3 - 2) at PHOENIX (2 - 3) - 6/14/2019, 10:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

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

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NEW YORK (2 - 4) at LAS VEGAS (2 - 3) - 6/14/2019, 10:30 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
LAS VEGAS is 5-2 against the spread versus NEW YORK over the last 3 seasons
LAS VEGAS is 4-3 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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WNBA
Dunkel

Friday, June 14


Seattle @ Washington

Game 621-622
June 14, 2019 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Seattle
105.060
Washington
117.406
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Washington
by 12 1/2
154
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Washington
by 8 1/2
159 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Washington
(-8 1/2); Under

Connecticut @ Minnesota

Game 623-624
June 14, 2019 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Connecticut
116.411
Minnesota
109.438
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Connecticut
by 7
149
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Connecticut
by 4 1/2
152 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Connecticut
(-4 1/2); Under

Los Angeles @ Phoenix

Game 625-626
June 14, 2019 @ 10:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Los Angeles
106.691
Phoenix
105.608
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Los Angeles
by 1
155
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Phoenix
by 2 1/2
159 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Los Angeles
(+2 1/2); Under

New York @ Las Vegas

Game 627-628
June 14, 2019 @ 10:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
New York
105.798
Las Vegas
108.351
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Las Vegas
by 2 1/2
159
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Las Vegas
by 11
167
Dunkel Pick:
New York
(+11); Under

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Preview: Storm (4-3) at Mystics (4-2)
Date: June 14, 2019 7:00 PM EDT

Last season, the Seattle Storm swept the Washington Mystics en route to the franchise's third WNBA championship.

The Mystics are off to a solid start in 2019 and get their chance at some early revenge when they host the Storm on Friday night.

Washington (4-2) made the WNBA Finals for the first time in 2018 but twice lost by double-digits to Seattle in a series that lasted the minimum three games. Judging by their strong play out of the gate this season, the Mystics seem poised to return to the Finals and close the deal in 2019.

"(We're) not settling for what is," coach Mike Thibault told the Mystics' official website prior to this season. "Try to find an extra gear. Our one goal is (to) be better than we were last year. If we do that, then the goal should be to win a championship."

The Mystics' only defeats on the young campaign have come against upstart 6-1 Connecticut, most recently 83-75 on the road Tuesday. Ariel Atkins had a team-high 18 points for the Mystics, who yielded 10 3-pointers to the Sun while being held to fewer than 86 points by Connecticut for the second time this season.

Atkins (10.3 points per game) is one of six players averaging double-digits for Washington, which had its four-game winning streak end Tuesday. That loss will likely add to the incentive for this contest.

Despite being minus injured stars Breanna Stewart and Sue Bird, Seattle (4-3) is managing to keep its collective head above water. The Storm will again try to win back-to-back games for the first time this season following an 84-82 victory at Indiana on Tuesday.

Early MVP contender Natasha Howard (19.6 ppg) scored a career-high 26 and Jewell Loyd added 18 points for Seattle, which owned a double-digit advantage in the third quarter but had to rally after Indiana charged back to lead by one with 29 seconds left. Loyd sank three free throws down the stretch to help Seattle earn the victory.

Loyd has averaged 18.5 points over the last four games. She scored 23 in Seattle's 89-76 win over Washington in Game 1 of the Finals. Howard, meanwhile, had 29 on 11-of-14 shooting and 14 rebounds in the Storm's title-clinching 98-82 Game 3 victory over Washington last season.

Mystics star Elena Delle Donne averaged 16.7 points in the 2018 Finals and scored 23 in Game 3. Delle Donne said after that loss: "We don't feel like we peaked and this it for us."

Washington and Seattle will square off two more times in August.

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Preview: Sun (6-1) at Lynx (4-3)
Date: June 14, 2019 8:00 PM EDT

Looking to establish themselves as the class of the league, the Connecticut Sun seek a fifth straight victory Friday night when they visit the Minnesota Lynx.

As the WNBA deals with injuries and absences among star players including Breanna Stewart, Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi, Candice Parker, and Skylar Diggins, the Sun (6-1) have quietly gotten off to a strong start despite trading away one of their best players - Chiney Ogwumike - before the season.

Connecticut pushed its winning streak to four games Tuesday night with an 83-75 victory over Washington. Jonquel Jones had 24 points and seven rebounds while Layshia Clarendon had crucial back-to-back baskets in the third quarter that put the Sun ahead to stay as they overpowered the Mystics with a 50-point second half.

"We were able to regroup at halftime and talk about their scheme against us that was giving us trouble," coach Curt Miller told the Hartford Courant, "and we made some adjustments and did a much better job attacking them offensively. It was a big, big win and a huge early series win. Will that make a difference somewhere down the line? I don't know, but that's a big series win against arguably the favorite this year in the league, so I'm proud of those guys."

Jones is averaging 18 points and a league-best 12.1 rebounds for Connecticut, powering a team that is outrebounding opponents by 6.5 per contest. The Sun also lead the WNBA in offensive rebounds at 12.6 per game, helping offset 39.1 percent shooting that ranks third-worst in the league.

Minnesota (4-3) - also among the teams missing a marquee player as Seimone Augustus recovers from knee surgery and Maya Moore has taken personal leave - opens a three-game homestand looking to avoid a fourth loss in five games after starting the season with three victories. The Lynx suffered back-to-back defeats for the first time this year after a 75-69 setback at New York on Tuesday night.

Sylvia Fowles had 16 points and 11 rebounds for Minnesota, which got as close as four points in the fourth quarter after trailing by as many as 15 in the first half. The Lynx also again struggled valuing the ball and committed 17 turnovers, barely better than their league-worst mark of 19.1 per contest.

"Coming back is part of the game," Fowles said. "Finishing and doing what we need to do is something different and we're not executing right now."

Fowles, who moved into the top 20 on the WNBA's all-time scoring list last weekend, is averaging team highs of 14.9 points and 10 rebounds while shooting 59.7 percent. The Lynx are 3-1 at home thus far, losing only to the Sparks on Saturday.

Connecticut swept last year's three games in impressive fashion, winning by an average of 16.7 points. Jones scored 26 and hit five 3-pointers in the most recent meeting, a 96-79 romp at home Aug. 17.

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Preview: Sparks (3-2) at Mercury (2-3)
Date: June 14, 2019 10:00 PM EDT

Even without injured superstar Diana Taurasi, the Mercury boast one of the top frontcourt tandems in the league in DeWanna Bonner and Britney Griner.

Yet it has yet to translate into consistent success for Phoenix, which looks to get back to .500 once more Friday night when it hosts a Los Angeles Sparks team wrapping up a four-game road swing.

The Mercury (2-3) are expected to be without Taurasi for at least another month as she recovers from back surgery, leaving much of the scoring burden on Bonner and Griner. The pair lead Phoenix in scoring at 24.2 and 16.4 points per game, respectively, and have combined to pull down 15.8 rebounds per contest.

But Phoenix's primary inconsistency resides on the other end of the court, specifically with its perimeter defense. Mercury opponents are shooting a blistering 46.6 percent from 3-point range while making 8.2 3-pointers per game - no other team is conceding more than 6.8 per contest. Those struggles contributed heavily to their 82-75 defeat at Chicago on Tuesday night when the Sky hit 12 of 23 from beyond the arc.

Bonner scored 28 points and Griner added 16, but no other Phoenix player finished in double figures. When the Mercury have had three or more players score 10 or more points, they have won both times, and they are winless when two or fewer finish in double digits.

Los Angeles (3-2) is minus a superstar of its own as Candace Parker continues to recover from a strained hamstring suffered in preseason. The Sparks are trying to wrap up their road swing with a winning record after holding off Minnesota 89-85 on Saturday. Riquna Williams scored 25 points and Chelsea Gray added 21 for Los Angeles, topping the 1,500-point mark for her career.

"I'm excited about our growth from each game on the road," Gray told The Orange County Register as Los Angeles plays without Parker, Alana Beard and Maria Vadeeva. "Even though we lost our last game before this one (to the Sun), I'm excited about the way we're progressing. ... Today, we were focused on us, trying to come in here and getting a win and ending our road trip in a positive way."

Gray has been the bellwether on this road trip for the Sparks, scoring 50 points combined in their two victories while being held to four in their defeat at Connecticut. The two-time All-Star is averaging 15.6 points and 4.4 assists, and will be looking to involve Marina Mabrey and Nneka Ogwumike on the perimeter against the Sky - her teammates have made a combined 14 of 31 from deep.

The home team won all three games last year, with Los Angeles winning the season series but Phoenix emerging with an 86-78 victory in the most recent meeting Aug. 12 as Bonner had 31 points and Griner added 20 and 13 rebounds.

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Storm beat Mystics 74-71 in WNBA Finals rematch
June 14, 2019
By The Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) Jewell Loyd scored 14 points, including the go-ahead jumper with 8.6 seconds left, and the defending champion Seattle Storm overcame a 13-point fourth-quarter deficit to beat the Washington Mystics 74-71 on Friday night in a rematch of last season's WNBA Finals.

Loyd made a fast-break layup and Natasha Howard hit a running floater in the lane to make it 71-all it with 49.3 seconds remaining. On the ensuing Mystics possession, Loyd tipped a cross-court pass that, after video review, was ruled to have deflected off Washington's LaToya Sanders before going out of bounds. Alysha Clark's errant inbound pass was nearly stolen but Loyd controlled the loose ball and called a timeout, setting up her 17-footer that give the Storm (5-3) a 73-71 lead, their first since early in the second quarter, with 8.6 seconds left.

The Mystics (4-3) called a timeout, advancing the ball to midcourt, and Elena Delle Donne, double-teamed on the inbound pass, tipped it to Aerial Powers, who missed a potential tying runner in the lane. Delle Donne led Washington with 19 points.

Howard had 19 points and 11 rebounds for Seattle. Mercedes Russell added 15 points and 11 rebounds - both career highs.

SUN 85, LYNX 81

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Jonquel Jones had 16 points and 12 rebounds, Shekinna Stricklen and Alyssa Thomas also scored 16 points apiece and Connecticut beat Minnesota for its fifth consecutive victory.

Jones had her fifth double-double of the season, and Stricklen was 6 of 9 from the field, going 4 of 5 from 3-point range. Rachel Banham added 10 points for the Sun (7-1).

Odyssey Sims, who was acquired via trade from the Los Angeles Sparks in April, scored a season-high 25 points for Minnesota (4-4). The Lynx have lost three in a row and four of their last five.

SPARKS 85, MERCURY 68

PHOENIX (AP) - Chelsea Gray had 21 points and a season-high nine assists to help Los Angeles beat Phoenix.

Nneka Ogwumike scored 12 of her 16 points in the second half, and Chiney Ogwumike added 14 points for the Sparks (4-2). Brittney Griner had a dunk for Phoenix (2-4) and finished with 24 points and 13 rebounds.

LAS VEGAS 100, NEW YORK 65

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Saturday’s 6-pack

College football spreads for October 12:
— USC @ Notre Dame (-12.5)
— Florida State @ Clemson (-25)
— Florida @ LSU (-4.5)
— Alabama (-14) @ Texas A&M
— Penn State @ Iowa (-2)
— Michigan State @ Wisconsin (-3)

Tweet of the Day
“I told them, if you offer me an extension and show me that I am a piece of the future, I’ll play first, I’ll even throw bullpens for you but give me that security. I’ve been open to any extension talk but that hasn’t happened. They said I turned down one in the offseason of ’17 but that wasn’t true.”
Tigers’ RF (former 3B) Nicholas Castellanos

Saturday’s quiz
Which major league team used to play its home games at Comiskey Park?

Friday’s quiz
Tom Seaver, Mike Piazza are the two players who have had their number retired by the Mets.

Thursday’s quiz
Seven major league teams have domed stadiums; Texas becomes the 8th next year.

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Saturday’s List of 13: Happy Armadillo Day!!!!

13) Happy Armadillo Day!!! 18 years ago, I started this website, not knowing where it would lead, but it has led here. Hope you enjoy reading it.

12) Have a book recommendation here; “Then One Day” written by Chris Andrews, the sports book director at SouthPoint in Las Vegas, which is an excellent sports book, and is also next to the hot dog cart and the VSIN radio studio.

Lot of excellent stories that cover Andrews’ long career, starting from when he was a kid growing up in Pittsburgh. If you like sports and betting, you’ll enjoy this book.

11) Westgate SuperBook released their odds to win the 2020 NBA title:
4-1— Los Angeles Lakers
6-1— Milwaukee Bucks, LA Clippers
8-1— Houston Rockets
10-1— Toronto Raptors
12-1— Boston Celtics, Philadelphia 76ers
14-1— Golden State Warriors- Sounds like the Warriors won’t get bored next season.

Free agency will change these numbers, maybe drastically. Wagering on the Lakers right now at 4-1 would be an extraordinary leap of faith in their shaky front office.

10) Someone posted a pic on Twitter Friday of a 1989 basketball game with Wisc-Green Bay-Northern Iowa. Who cares?, you say, but the guy with the ball was Toronto Raptors’ coach Nick Nurse, and the guy guarding him was U of Virginia coach Tony Bennett.

30 years later, one guy is a national champ, the other guy a world champ. Go figure.

9) Raptors are first team ever to win an NBA title with zero players on their team who were picked in the top 14 of an NBA Draft. Kawhi Leonard was the 15th pick of the 2011 draft.

8) Shin-Soo Choo reached base five times for Texas Thursday night, but he didn’t get a hit; he was hit by pitches twice and walked three times. Scored couple of runs, too.

7) Baseball stuff:
— Marlins moved P Jose Ureña (herniated disc) to the 60-day IL.
— A’s put OF Stephen Piscotty (ear) on the IL

6) Tigers’ RF Nicholas Castellanos is a really good hitter, and is a free agent after the season; Detroit wants him to move to 1B, but Castellanos won’t do that unless the Tigers give him a contract extension- that hasn’t happened yet, so Castellanos remains in right field.

5) Louisville’s football team had a cruddy year last year; their power rating at the end of the season was 22 points lower than it was in August; Florida State’s power rating dropped 18 points during the season last year.

4) Turns out the Houston Texans didn’t fully understand what was in Nick Caserio’s contract, so they tried to trade with New England to acquire Caserio to be their next GM, but that fell thru too, so Caserio is back in Foxboro, working in the Patriots’ front office. Shouldn’t be awkward at all; Caserio becomes a free agent after next April’s draft.

3) Idaho fired basketball coach Don Verlin; assistant coach Zac Claus will coach the team this coming season. June 14 is an odd time to fire a college basketball coach. Vandals were 5-27 LY, after being 22-9 the year before, but apparently Verlin has run afoul of the NCAA.

2) Blue Jays are in Houston this weekend, so Toronto rookie Cavan Biggio gets to spend his first Father’s Day in the major leagues playing in front of his dad, Hall of Famer Craig Biggio.

1) RIP Pat Bowlen 75, owner of the Denver Broncos, who passed away after a long bout with Alzheimer’s. While Bowlen owned the Broncos, they played in seven Super Bowls, and had only seven losing seasons; he was revered in the Denver community. RIP, sir.

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WNBA

Saturday, June 15

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Trend Report
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Chicago Sky
Chicago is 7-3 ATS in its last 10 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Chicago's last 5 games
Chicago is 5-13 SU in its last 18 games on the road
Chicago is 4-6-2 ATS in its last 12 games when playing Indiana
Chicago is 4-0-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Indiana
Chicago is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Indiana
Chicago is 8-17 SU in its last 25 games when playing on the road against Indiana
The total has gone UNDER in 12 of Chicago's last 16 games when playing on the road against Indiana
Indiana Fever
Indiana is 8-15 ATS in its last 23 games
Indiana is 8-15 SU in its last 23 games
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Indiana's last 9 games
Indiana is 3-11 ATS in its last 14 games at home
Indiana is 4-21 SU in its last 25 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Indiana's last 5 games at home
Indiana is 0-4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against Chicago
Indiana is 17-8 SU in its last 25 games when playing at home against Chicago
Indiana is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Chicago
The total has gone UNDER in 12 of Indiana's last 16 games when playing at home against Chicago

Atlanta Dream
Atlanta is 1-6 ATS in its last 7 games
Atlanta is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Atlanta's last 5 games
Atlanta is 9-3 ATS in its last 12 games on the road
Atlanta is 8-3 SU in its last 11 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Atlanta's last 6 games on the road
Atlanta is 15-7 SU in its last 22 games when playing Dallas
The total has gone OVER in 11 of Atlanta's last 13 games when playing Dallas
Atlanta is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Dallas
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Atlanta's last 5 games when playing on the road against Dallas
Dallas Wings
Dallas is 2-10 ATS in its last 12 games
Dallas is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Dallas's last 5 games
Dallas is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games at home
Dallas is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Dallas's last 8 games at home
Dallas is 7-13-1 ATS in its last 21 games when playing Atlanta
Dallas is 7-15 SU in its last 22 games when playing Atlanta
The total has gone OVER in 11 of Dallas's last 13 games when playing Atlanta
Dallas is 4-8-2 ATS in its last 14 games when playing at home against Atlanta
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Dallas's last 5 games when playing at home against Atlanta

New York Liberty
New York is 2-18 SU in its last 20 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of New York's last 5 games
New York is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
New York is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of New York's last 6 games on the road
New York is 3-6-1 ATS in its last 10 games when playing Los Angeles
New York is 1-9 SU in its last 10 games when playing Los Angeles
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of New York's last 5 games when playing Los Angeles
New York is 14-5 ATS in its last 19 games when playing on the road against Los Angeles
New York is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Los Angeles
New York is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Los Angeles
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of New York's last 7 games when playing on the road against Los Angeles
Los Angeles Sparks
Los Angeles is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Los Angeles's last 6 games
Los Angeles is 3-7 ATS in its last 10 games at home
Los Angeles is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Los Angeles's last 5 games at home
Los Angeles is 1-3-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing New York
Los Angeles is 9-1 SU in its last 10 games when playing New York
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Los Angeles's last 5 games when playing New York
Los Angeles is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against New York
Los Angeles is 5-14 ATS in its last 19 games when playing at home against New York
Los Angeles is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against New York
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Los Angeles's last 7 games when playing at home against New York

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WNBA
Long Sheet

Saturday, June 15

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CHICAGO (3 - 2) at INDIANA (4 - 3) - 6/15/2019, 7:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

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

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ATLANTA (1 - 4) at DALLAS (0 - 5) - 6/15/2019, 8:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

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

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NEW YORK (2 - 5) at LOS ANGELES (4 - 2) - 6/15/2019, 10:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
LOS ANGELES is 4-3 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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WNBA
Dunkel

Saturday, June 15


Chicago@Indiana
Game 629-630
June 15, 2019 @ 7:00 pm
Dunkel Rating:
Chicago
109.537
Indiana
106.967
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Chicago
by 2 1/2
162
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Indiana
by 5
168
Dunkel Pick:
Chicago
(+5); Under

Atlanta@Dallas
Game 631-632
June 15, 2019 @ 8:00 pm
Dunkel Rating:
Atlanta
104.060
Dallas
106.126
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Dallas
by 2
152
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Atlanta
by 3
146 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Dallas
(+3); Over

New York@Los Angeles

Game 633-634
June 15, 2019 @ 10:00 pm
Dunkel Rating:
New York
95.351
Los Angeles
111.125
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Los Angeles
by 16
161
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Los Angeles
by 13
159
Dunkel Pick:
Los Angeles
(-13); Over

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Preview: Sky (3-2) at Fever (4-3)
Date: June 15, 2019 7:00 PM EDT

The Chicago Sky have been unbeatable at home in 2019. It's on the road where they are still searching for a victory.

Winning at home, however, has not been easy for the Indiana Fever of late.

A third consecutive overall victory would give the Sky that first road win and hand the Fever their third straight home defeat Saturday night.

Chicago (3-2) won three in a row just once last season, that coming over the final three games of June. However, the Sky can accomplish that feat a little earlier in 2019 following impressive home victories over Seattle on Sunday and 82-75 against Phoenix - during which they went 12 of 23 from 3-point range - on Tuesday.

"We want to be a team that's hard to play against," first-year coach and general manager James Wade told the Sky's official website. "We want to be known as a winning team."

If Chicago really wants to be considered that kind of team, they'll need to find some success on the road. The Sky have won their three home games by a combined 18 points, but lost at Minnesota and Washington by 18 each.

The good news, perhaps, for Chicago is that it's won three straight games at Indiana. The most recent came 115-106 in a wild double-overtime affair on Aug. 18. Diamond DeShields (15.4 points per game), who had 25 points versus Phoenix, and Courtney Vandersloot (9.8 ppg, 8.4 assists per game), who added 17 with eight assists against the Mercury, each scored 24 for the Sky in that win at Indiana.

Chicago should have even more confidence knowing the Fever (4-3) lost to both Phoenix and Seattle in their last two home games, although only by a combined nine points.

Indiana played its first four games of June at home before Thursday's 76-72 victory at winless Dallas. Veteran Candice Dupree had 20 points and Kelsey Mitchell (15.7 ppg) added 18 as the Fever shot 42.2 percent and used a strong third-quarter effort to help top the injury-riddled but pesky Wings.

Dupree, 14 of 25 from the floor in the last two games, matched a season high for points Thursday.

"I am comfortable having the ball in my hands and I only take shots I know I can make," said Dupree, averaging 12.3 points in her 14th WNBA season, told the Fever's official website.

The ex-Sky forward totaled 52 points in the last two games against her former team in 2018.

Chicago's Katie Lou Samuelson, the fourth overall pick in this year's draft, is slated to miss about three weeks with a wrist injury. Samuelson is averaging 2.3 points over three games.

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Preview: Dream (1-4) at Wings (0-5)
Date: June 15, 2019 8:00 PM EDT

Since opening the season with a narrow victory over the Dallas Wings, the Atlanta Dream have yet to win another game.

They'll try to prevent that slide from reaching five in a row Friday night when they visit a Wings squad that's still searching for its first victory of 2019.

Jessica Breland had 17 points, highlighted by a late three-point play, and Atlanta (1-4) kept Dallas without a field goal over the final two minutes to rally for a 76-72 home victory on May 24. Since then, things have not gone as well for the Dream, who are in danger of losing five in a row for the first time since 2017.

Still without injured star Angel McCoughtry, Atlanta's averaging just 69.0 points - only Dallas (0-5)) is lower at 67.4 - and is shooting a league-worst 36.6 percent. The Dream also allowed at least 82 points in each of their first three losses before falling 65-59 to Connecticut on Sunday.

Brittney Sykes (12.0 points per game) and Tiffany Hayes (9.2 ppg) each scored 14 for Atlanta, which tied the game at 57 with a little more than six minutes to play but managed just one basket the rest of the way. However, the overall effort can be considered progress for coach Nicki Collen's team.

"We competed at the level I expect the Dream to compete at every single day, every single game," Collen told the Dream's official website. "I thought we were putting ourselves in a position to win a game. In this league, that's what you have to do. You have to put yourself in position to win games."

Dallas (0-5) was again in position to earn its first win of the season Thursday, but once again fell short in a 76-72 home loss to Indiana. Kayla Thornton (11.0 ppg) had a career-high 19 points for the Wings, who fought back by outscoring the Fever 25-18 in the final period but suffered their third defeat by four or fewer points.

Off to the franchise's worst start since relocating to the Dallas area in 2016, the Wings have been hit hard by injuries and remain without star Skylar Diggins-Smith (pregnancy), but could have key rookie Arike Ogunbowale (7.3 ppg) back after she missed Thursday's game with an ankle injury.

This week, Dallas re-signed reigning Associated Press college player of the year and second-round pick Megan Gustafson, whom the team cut right before the start of this season. It's uncertain if she will be available Saturday.

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Liberty (2-5) at Sparks (4-2)
Date: June 15, 2019 10:00 PM EDT

Chelsea Gray helped the Los Angeles Sparks beat the New York Liberty earlier this month on the road.

Off to a strong start, Gray looks to again help the Sparks take down a visiting Liberty squad that will try to avoid an 11th consecutive road defeat Saturday night.

Gray scored a career-high 29 points as Los Angeles rallied from five down with 4:42 left in the game to score 10 consecutive points en route to a 78-73 road win over New York (2-5) on June 4. That contest began a four-game road stretch for the Sparks (4-2), who finished that span 3-1 following Friday's 85-68 win at Phoenix.

Gray again came up big for Los Angeles, scoring 14 of her team-high 21 points in the first quarter as Los Angeles shot 51.5 percent Friday. Averaging a career-high 16.5 points in her fifth season, Gray went 4 of 6 from 3-point range against the Mercury, and remains the Sparks' most consistent performer on the young season with stars Candace Parker (hamstring) and Alana Beard (leg) injured.

"She's smart, she's competitive, she can shoot, defend and she's learning how to lead more and more as our team evolves," first-year Sparks coach Derek Fisher told the WNBA's official website. "She is a person that we want and need to follow.

"Without Candace on the floor, and playing in a new system, (Gray) makes plays for herself and for other people, and that's a huge bonus for us."

Gray will likely again be a challenge for the Liberty, whose bid for a third consecutive victory ended Friday night with a rough 100-65 loss at Las Vegas. Kia Nurse had 12 points to lead New York, which shot 32.4 percent while the Aces hit for 54.1 from the floor.

After ending a 17-game overall losing streak last weekend, the Liberty aim to snap a 10-game road slide that dates to a 79-76 win at Connecticut on July 11.

Tina Charles (19.1 ppg) scored 21 against the Sparks to become the Liberty's all-time leading scorer, and also pulled down 14 rebounds in the first meeting. Charles, however, was held to six points against the Aces and has totaled 18 in the last two games.

Los Angeles has won four in a row and nine of 10 over the Liberty. That meeting earlier this month reportedly was the first time Fisher was back in the New York City area since being fired by the Knicks in 2016 after less than two seasons.

[StarDust Bum]

SATURDAY, JUNE 15
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

CHI at IND 07:00 PM
IND -3.5
O 164.5

ATL at DAL 08:00 PM
DAL +3.5
O 146.0

NY at LA 10:00 PM
LA -13.0
U 158.5

[StarDust Bum]

Wings win first game of season, beat Dream
June 15, 2019
By The Associated Press

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) Arike Ogunbowale scored 17 points, Allisha Gray added 16 points and the Dallas Wings got their first win of the season with a 71-61 victory over the Atlanta Dream on Saturday night.

The Wings (1-5) took control with a 17-4 run to lead 45-40 on Gray's driving layup with 1:47 left in the third quarter. The Dream (1-5) cut the deficit to 45-44 by the end of the period, but Dallas pushed its lead to 65-53 and held on for the final three minutes.

Elizabeth Williams had 16 points, Tiffany Hayes scored 15 and Alex Bentley added 11 for Atlanta. The Dream led for most of the first half with their largest lead of the game at 32-23.

After the game, the Dream said the stat crew made a correction and took one blocked shot away from Atlanta's Jessica Breland. She finished with one block and has 299 career blocks.

Atlanta has lost five in a row since beating Dallas 76-72 in the season opener for both teams.

SKY 70, FEVER 64

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Allie Quigley scored 18 points and the Sky won their third straight game with a victory over the Fever.

Cheyenne Parker added 14 points and 10 rebounds and Courtney Vandersloot had nine points and eight assists. The Sky (4-2) earned their first road victory of the season.

Chicago took the lead for good at 38-35 on Diamond DeShields' 3-pointer and pulled away with a 7-0 run to lead 51-41 late in the third quarter.

The Fever (4-4) closed the deficit to within five in the final minute, but the Sky made 3 of 4 from the foul line to hold them off.

Kelsey Mitchell had 16 points, Natalie Achonwa added 15 and Tiffany Mitchell scored 10 for Indiana.

The Fever opened the game on an 8-0 run and held the lead until Chicago closed the deficit at 21-all early in the second quarter.

LIBERTY 98, SPARKS 92

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Amanda Zahui B scored a career-high 37 points and New York beat Los Angeles to end a 10-game road losing streak.

Zahui B set career shooting marks, going 7 of 8 from 3-point range and 13 of 16 overall from the field. She will leave the Liberty on Thursday to play for Sweden in the Eurobasket tournament.

Kia Nurse added 26 points and a career-high four steals for New York (3-5). New York's previous road win came on July 11 at Connecticut. The Liberty closed the 2018 season with eight straight road losses and started 2019 with two more.

Chiney Ogwumike had 26 points for the Sparks (4-3).

[StarDust Bum]

SCHEDULE FOR SUNDAY JUNE 16, 2019
Time (ET) Away Home Site
3:30 PM Seattle Storm Connecticut Sun Mohegan Sun Arena
7:00 PM Las Vegas Aces Minnesota Lynx Target Center


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WNBA JUNE'S OPINIONS AND BEST BETS:

DATE W-L-T % UNITS RECORD

06/15/2019 1-5-0 16.67% -22.50
NO PLAYS........................................+00.0 0
06/13/2019 2-0-0 100.00% +10.00
06/12/2019 2-0-0 100.00% +10.00
06/11/2019 2-4-0 33.33% -12.00
06/09/2019 7-3-0 70.00% +18.50
06/08/2019 0-2-0 0.00% -11.00
06/07/2019 1-2-1 33.33% -6.00
06/06/2019 5-0-1 100.00% +25.00
06/05/2019 0-2-0 0.00% -11.00
06/04/2019 2-0-0 100.00% +10.00
06/02/2019 1-1-0 50.00% -0.50
06/01/2019 3-4-1 42.86% -7.00

Totals..............26-23-3.... 53.06% +3.50


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BEST BETS:

DATE........................ATS................... ..UNITS..................O/U..................UNITS.............TOTALS

06/15/2019.............1 - 2.....................-6.00..................0 - 3................-16.50...............-22.50
NO PLAYS............................................. .................................................. ....................+00.00
06/13/2019.............1 - 0.....................+5.00.................1 - 0.................+5.00..............+10.00
06/12/2019.............1 - 0....................+5.00..................1 - 0................+5.00...............+10.00
06/11/2019.............0 - 3....................-16.50.................2 - 1.................+4.50...............-12.00
06/09/2019.............1 - 3....................-11.50.................3 - 0.................+15.00.............+3.50
06/08/2019.............0 - 1.....................-5.50..................0 - 1.................-5.50................-11.00
06/07/2019.............1-0-1....................+5.00.................0- 2..................-11.00..............-6.00
06/06/2019.............3 - 0.....................+15.00...............2 - 0.................+10.00.............+25.00
06/05/2019.............0 - 1......................-5.50.................0 - 1..................-5.50...............-11.00
06/04/2019.............1 - 0.....................+5.00.................1 - 0.................+5.00..............+10.00
06/02/2019.............1 - 0.....................+5.00.................0 - 1..................-5.50...............-0.50
06/01/2019.............1 - 1......................-0.50.................2 - 2..................-1.00...............-1.50

Totals....................11 -11.....................-5.50...............12 - 11.................-0.50...............-6.00