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

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FRIDAY, MAY 24
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

DAL at ATL 07:30 PM
ATL -9.0
O 164.5

IND at NY 08:00 PM
IND +2.0
U 158.5

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McCowan's layup at buzzer lifts Fever to win over Liberty
May 24, 2019
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WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. (AP) Teaira McCowan's WNBA debut was a memorable one, hitting the game-winning layup at the buzzer.

The rookie's shot lifted Indiana to an 81-80 victory over the New York Liberty on Friday night in the season opener for both teams.

''I haven't ever hit a game-winner before,'' said the third pick in the draft, who finished with 11 points. ''Not in AAU, high school or college.''

Trailing by one after Tina Charles made two free throws with seven seconds left, Candice Dupree drove the lane and dished it off to McCowan, who laid it in just before the buzzer sounded. The officials did a quick video review confirming the basket counted.

''I always tell her to keep her hands up,'' Dupree said. ''I yelled at her as I drove, `T' your hands.''

McCowan was part of one of the greatest game-winning shots when she was at Mississippi State when teammate Morgan William hit a 15-footer in overtime in the Final Four in 2017 to end UConn's record 111-game winning streak.

''This is definitely one of the top five I've been part of,'' said McCowan said with a smile.

Tiffany Mitchell led Indiana with 22 points. Her free throw with 2:16 left in the game gave Indiana a 79-78 lead. Neither team could score until the final seven seconds.

Tina Charles, who had 32 points and 12 rebounds, hit two free throws after she was fouled on a rebound with seven seconds remaining that gave New York a one-point lead.

The loss was the 14th in a row for the Liberty dating back to last season. Charles didn't see this as a continuation of the streak from last year.

''Last year is in the past, you can only focus on this year,'' she said.

This was the Liberty's first regular season game under new owner Joe Tsai. An investment group led by the Brooklyn Nets minority owner bought the Liberty in late January. Tsai, co-founder of the e-commerce giant Alibaba Group, bought a 49 percent interest in the Nets last year. Tsai was in attendance along with new WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert and acting WNBA President Mark Tatum. Engelbert starts officially on July 17 after finishing out her current job as CEO of Deloitte USA next month. The trio met at the half.

Indiana got off to a rough start, missing its first eight shots before Shenise Johnson's layup nearly 5 minutes into the game. Johnson sat out last year while recovering from an ACL tear suffered in 2017 and then a hamstring injury. Indiana built a 39-33 lead at the half despite 16 points by Charles. The lead grew to 54-42 with 3:19 left in the third before Reshanda Gray and Bria Hartley rallied New York, which scored 18 of the final 20 points to end the period. Gray's putback with three seconds left capped the run and made it 60-56 for the Liberty.

MAKING THEIR DEBUTS: Besides McCowan, Asia Durr and Han Xu got their first minutes in the league playing for New York. Durr, who was drafted second by the Liberty, finished with eight points. Han played 65 seconds.

''It was fun, exciting. First time playing in a game that counts,'' Durr said. ''Got my feet wet. I was super impressed with how we played. We could have done better.''

UP NEXT:

Fever: At Connecticut on Tuesday

Liberty: At Indiana on June 1.

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Breland's 17 points help Dream rally past Wings, 76-72
May 24, 2019
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ATLANTA (AP) One year after a stout defense helped Atlanta advance to the WNBA semifinals, the Dream turned to that strength to help cap a comeback in their 2019 opener.

Jessica Breland scored 17 points, including a late go-ahead three-point play, and Atlanta held Dallas without a field goal in the final 2 minutes as the Dream rallied to beat the Wings 76-72 on Friday night.

Center Elizabeth Williams said Atlanta coach Nicki Collen expects defense to make decisive stands.

''At the end of games she trusts us to get stops,'' Williams said.

The Dream led the WNBA in field goal percentage defense (42.3) last season. The Wings made 26 of 74 shots (35.1 percent).

Dallas led 55-47 before Atlanta won the final period, 29-17.

''It was ugly but I think we did what we do and that's battle,'' Collen said. ''... It took a little while to get everyone on the same page, but we just don't give up.''

Renee Montgomery had 15 points for the Dream.

Allisha Gray had 14 points off the bench to lead Dallas. Rookie Arike Ogunbowale had 12 points. Another rookie, Brooke McCarty-Williams, had eight points and eight assists.

Imani McGee-Stafford's layup gave Dallas a 67-65 lead. McCarty-Williams' steal set up Gray's layup, stretching the lead to four points. Another steal by Gray set up her free throws for a 71-65 advantage.

Following a 3-pointer by Montgomery, Brittney Sykes made two of three free throws and grabbed the rebound on the miss to set up Breland's go-ahead three-point play with 1:17 remaining.

The Dream led 20-14 before the Wings scored the final five points of the first period to launch a 15-0 run for a 29-20 advantage. McGee-Stafford's offensive rebound and basket capped the run.

Sykes' 3-pointer snapped Atlanta's scoring drought, but Dallas led 39-34 at halftime. Every Wings player in uniform scored in the half, including five players off the bench.

Marie Guilich scored all of her six points in the final quarter to help Atlanta rally. Tiffany Hayes, a first-team all-WNBA selection last year, scored only five points while making only two of eight shots from the field. She missed each of her four 3-point attempts.

MAJOR VOIDS

The Dream are without two-time league scoring champion Angel McCoughtry, who was not in uniform but sat on the bench as she continues to recover from a left knee injury late in the 2018 season. Collen recently described McCoughtry's status as ''month to month.''

The Wings must regroup after trading 6-foot-8 Australian Liz Cambage to Las Vegas on May 16 for Moriah Jefferson, Isabelle Harrison and the Aces' first two draft picks in 2020. Cambage was the runner-up to Breanna Stewart in last season's WNBA MVP vote.

Dallas also is without All-Star guard Skylar Diggins-Smith, who gave birth this spring.

HOME AGAIN

Following two seasons at Georgia Tech, the Dream have returned to State Farm Arena, also the home of the NBA's Atlanta Hawks. Before a two-year renovation, the facility was called Philips Arena.

The attendance was 3,070.

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SCHEDULE FOR SATURDAY MAY 25, 2019
Time (ET) Away Home Site
3:30 PM Phoenix Mercury Seattle Storm Angel of the Winds Arena
7:30 PM Washington Mystics Connecticut Sun Mohegan Sun Arena
8:00 PM Chicago Sky Minnesota Lynx Target Center


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MLB MAY'S OPINIONS AND BEST BETS:

DATE W-L-T % UNITS RECORD


05/24/2019 1-3-0 25.00% -1150


Totals...............1-3-0.........25.00%....-11.50


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BEST BETS:

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


05/24/2019.............1 - 1......................-0.50...................0 - 2................-11.00..............-11.50


Totals.....................1 - 1......................-0.50....................0 - 2................-11.00..............-11.50

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Saturday’s 6-pack

Updated Week 1 odds for the NFL:

— Falcons @ Vikings (-4, 47.5)

— Redskins @ Eagles (-9, 46.5)

— Bills @ Jets (-3.5, 38.5)

— Ravens (-4.5, 37) @ Dolphins

— 49ers @ Buccaneers (-1, 49)

— Chiefs (-3.5, 51.5) @ Jaguars

Quote of the Day
“I’m not hesitating on that. I am a Hall of Famer. My numbers speak for itself. My numbers are better than Troy Aikman, but he has Super Bowl rings.”
Donovan McNabb

Saturday’s quiz
How many teams are in the Canadian Football League?

Friday’s quiz
WNBA teams play 34 regular season games each season.

Thursday’s quiz
Bill Laimbeer is the head coach/GM of the Las Vegas Aces in the WNBA.

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Saturday’s List of 13: Clearing out a cluttered mind…….

13) George Springer leads the American League in homers and RBIs; he bats leadoff. No leadoff hitter has ever led their league in homers or RBI for a full season.

Springer hurt his left leg in Friday night’s game and appears headed to the IL.

12) Fran Fraschilla posted a note on Twitter this week that college basketball coaches spend 30% of their time on actual basketball. NBA coaches spend 99% of their time on basketball, and that is the appeal of the NBA to guys like Brad Stevens, Billy Donovan, John Beilein.

11) From 2011-18, when Max Scherzer started a game, his teams went 176-85 in those games.

This season, Washington is 2-9 when Scherzer starts. Go figure.

10) Findlay Prep in Las Vegas, which has won three National High School Invitational basketball championships, isn’t expected to field a team next season. Findlay had a run of 11 consecutive appearances in the national tournament stopped this year- the school is going to look for a new campus and could resume play for the 2020-21 season.

Since starting the program in the 2006-07 season, Findlay is 378-43; they could have three alums taken in the NBA Draft in June.

9) Raiders-Packers might play a preseason game in Winnipeg this summer. Seriously.

8) There are four NFL head coaches who played QB in either the Arena League or the Indoor Football League:
— Jay Gruden: Tampa Bay Storm, Orlando Predators, Nashville Kats
— Matt LaFleur, Omaha Beef, Billings Outlaws

— Matt Nagy: New York Dragons, Carolina Cobras, Georgia Force, Columbus Destroyers
— Sean Payton: Chicago Bruisers, Pittsburgh Gladiators

7) Baseball stuff:
— A’s put DH Khris Davis (oblique) on IL.
— Marlins put C Chad Wallach (concussion) on IL.
— Arizona put OF David Peralta (AC joint) on IL.
— Mets signed Ervin Santana, Matt Kemp to contracts.

6) This week in 1935 in Cincinnati, the first-ever night baseball game was played; there were 20,422 fans there to see the Reds beat the Phillies, 2-1.

5) Kansas Jayhawks get Silvio DeSousa eligible to play this coming basketball season, which is very good news for them.

4) Former Baylor football coach Art Briles is the new coach at Mount Vernon HS in Texas.

3) In case you were wondering, the 2011 Mets went 77-85; they left 1,257 men on base that year, the most of any team in this decade. Six of the top nine teams on this list won 91+ games.

#8 on the list are the 2016 Cubs, who won the World Series that year.

2) Tres Tinkle dropped out of the NBA Draft and will return to Oregon State for his senior year; he is a very good player, but his dad is also the OSU head coach. Beavers finished 10-8 in Pac-12 games last year, their first winning season in conference play this century.

1) Chicago Bears are -4 over Green Bay in Week 1 this season; Bears are getting 59% of the money so far, in wagering at William Hill sportsbooks nationwide; of the 16 Week 1 games, that is the game where the money is most evenly divided.

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WNBA
Long Sheet

Saturday, May 25

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PHOENIX (0 - 0) at SEATTLE (0 - 0) - 5/25/2019, 3:30 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
PHOENIX is 7-4 against the spread versus SEATTLE over the last 3 seasons
SEATTLE is 6-6 straight up against PHOENIX over the last 3 seasons
7 of 12 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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WASHINGTON (0 - 0) at CONNECTICUT (0 - 0) - 5/25/2019, 7:30 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
CONNECTICUT is 5-2 against the spread versus WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
CONNECTICUT is 4-3 straight up against WASHINGTON 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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CHICAGO (0 - 0) at MINNESOTA (0 - 0) - 5/25/2019, 8:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
CHICAGO is 4-2 against the spread versus MINNESOTA over the last 3 seasons
MINNESOTA 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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WNBA

Saturday, May 25

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Trend Report
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Phoenix Mercury
Phoenix is 8-3 ATS in its last 11 games
Phoenix is 8-3 SU in its last 11 games
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Phoenix's last 10 games
Phoenix is 7-1 ATS in its last 8 games on the road
Phoenix is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Phoenix's last 9 games on the road
Phoenix is 16-8 ATS in its last 24 games when playing Seattle
Phoenix is 16-8 SU in its last 24 games when playing Seattle
Phoenix is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games when playing Seattle
Phoenix is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Seattle
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Phoenix's last 9 games when playing on the road against Seattle
Seattle Storm
Seattle is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games
Seattle is 14-3 SU in its last 17 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Seattle's last 6 games
Seattle is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Seattle's last 15 games at home
Seattle is 8-16 ATS in its last 24 games when playing Phoenix
Seattle is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing Phoenix
Seattle is 8-16 SU in its last 24 games when playing Phoenix
Seattle is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against Phoenix
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Seattle's last 9 games when playing at home against Phoenix

Washington Mystics
Washington is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games
Washington is 2-3-1 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
Washington is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games on the road
Washington is 2-6-1 ATS in its last 9 games when playing Connecticut
Washington is 15-8 SU in its last 23 games when playing Connecticut
Washington is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing Connecticut
Washington is 2-6-1 ATS in its last 9 games when playing on the road against Connecticut
Washington is 8-15 SU in its last 23 games when playing on the road against Connecticut
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Washington's last 6 games when playing on the road against Connecticut
Connecticut Sun
Connecticut is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games
Connecticut is 9-2 SU in its last 11 games
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Connecticut's last 9 games
Connecticut is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Connecticut's last 7 games at home
Connecticut is 6-2 ATS in its last 8 games when playing Washington
Connecticut is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing Washington
Connecticut is 8-15 SU in its last 23 games when playing Washington
Connecticut is 6-2-1 ATS in its last 9 games when playing at home against Washington
Connecticut is 15-8 SU in its last 23 games when playing at home against Washington
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Connecticut's last 6 games when playing at home against Washington

Chicago Sky
Chicago is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Chicago's last 5 games
Chicago is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
Chicago is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games on the road
Chicago is 5-11 SU in its last 16 games on the road
Chicago is 6-2 ATS in its last 8 games when playing Minnesota
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Chicago's last 9 games when playing Minnesota
Chicago is 1-8 SU in its last 9 games when playing on the road against Minnesota
Minnesota Lynx
Minnesota is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games
Minnesota is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 13 of Minnesota's last 17 games
Minnesota is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games at home
Minnesota is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games when playing Chicago
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Minnesota's last 9 games when playing Chicago
Minnesota is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games when playing at home against Chicago

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SATURDAY, MAY 25
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

PHO at SEA 03:30 PM
PHO -3.5
O 157.5

WAS at CONN 07:30 PM
WAS +5.5
O 165.5

CHI at MIN 08:00 PM
CHI +4.0
O 159.5

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SCHEDULE FOR SUNDAY MAY 26, 2019
Time (ET) Away Home Site
8:00 PM Los Angeles Sparks Las Vegas Aces Mandalay Bay Events Center


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MLB MAY'S OPINIONS AND BEST BETS:

DATE W-L-T % UNITS RECORD


05/25/2019 1-5-0 16.67% -22.50
05/24/2019 1-3-0 25.00% -11.50


Totals...............2-8-0.........20.00%....-34.00


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BEST BETS:

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


05/25/2019.............0 - 3......................-16.50.................1 - 2................-6.00................-22.50
05/24/2019.............1 - 1......................-0.50...................0 - 2................-11.00..............-11.50


Totals.....................1 - 4......................-17.00..................1 - 4................-17.00..............-34.00

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Howard lifts Storm to win over Mercury
May 25, 2019
By The Associated Press

EVERETT, Wash. (AP) Natasha Howard had 21 points and 16 rebounds, Jewell Loyd added 17 points and the Seattle Storm opened defensive of their WNBA title with a 77-68 win over the Phoenix Mercury on Saturday.

Beginning a season where they will play without reigning league MVP Breanna Stewart for the entire season and 11-time All-Star Sue Bird for a significant portion, the Storm rallied from an 11-point first half deficit to make sure celebrating last year's title was capped with a victory.

With Bird sitting on the bench and Stewart a few feet away in a protective boot, Seattle's two biggest stars were forced to be spectators and watched their teammates outscore Phoenix 40-25 in the middle two quarters and hold off the best efforts of DeWanna Bonner to rally the Mercury. Bonner scored 15 straight points for Phoenix late in the third quarter and early in the fourth to pull the Mercury within 58-57. That's as close as they would get as Seattle outscored Phoenix 19-11 over the final seven minutes.

Bonner finished with 31 points, as the Mercury started a season where they will be without Diana Tarausi for a significant chunk after undergoing back surgery in late April.

SUN 84, MYSTICS 69

UNCASVILLE, Conn. (AP) - Alyssa Thomas scored 23 points, Jonquel Jones had 10 points and 14 rebounds and the Sun beat the short-handed Mystics.

Washington was missing Elena Delle Donne, who sat out the opener with left knee soreness.

Even without their star, the Mystics kept it close until Connecticut went on a 13-2 run in the middle of the third quarter to take control. Jasmine Thomas hit a jumper to make it 48-45 at the 7:34 mark. That started the game-changing run.

The Suns led 67-53 after three quarters and by double figures throughout the fourth quarter.

Emma Meesseman, who has returned to the Mystics after playing in Belgium last season, scored 14 points.

LYNX 89, SKY 71

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Napheesa Collier scored 27 points, the second most in WNBA history by a rookie in her debut, and the new-look Lynx pulled away from the Sky in the second half.

Collier, who was the sixth pick in the draft this year, was short of Candace Parker's record 34-point effort in her first game with the Los Angeles Sparks in 2008. The Lynx hardly missed perennial MVP Maya Moore, who is sitting out this season, as Collier hit 8 of her 10 shots, including three 3-pointers. Minnesota is also adjusting to the retirement of long-time guard Lindsay Whalen, who will have her number retired later this season.

Collier overshadowed her former UConn teammates Katie Lou Samuelson, the fourth overall pick in the draft. Samuelson made her only shot and both her free throws to score four points off the bench for Chicago.

Gabby Williams and Kahleah Cooper had 11 points apiece for the Sky, who trailed 46-40 at the half but were outscored 24-10 in the third quarter.

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Sunday’s 6-pack

Updated Week 1 odds for the NFL:

— Tennessee @ Cleveland (-5.5, 45.5)

— LA Rams (-3, 51) @ Carolina

— Detroit (-1.5, 48.5) @ Arizona

— Cincinnati @ Seattle (-9, 43.5)

— Indianapolis @ LA Chargers (-3, 48)

— NY Giants @ Dallas (-7.5, 46.5)

Quote of the Day
“He has no idea how much milk costs. He’s like, ‘What is that, about 20 dollars?’ I’m like, ‘What kind of goat’s blood milk are you drinking?’ No! It’s… like what?”
Gabrielle Union, talking about her Dwyane Wade (her husband) doesn’t know much about the price of normal groceries

Sunday’s quiz
Michael Jordan was the 3rd pick in the 1984 NBA Draft; Hakeem Olajuwon was the first pick. Who was the second pick?

Saturday’s quiz
There are nine teams are in the Canadian Football League.

Friday’s quiz
WNBA teams play 34 regular season games each season.

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Sunday’s List of 13: Wrapping up a sports Saturday…….

13) Was watching a ballgame the other day; Pittsburgh shifted against a lefty hitter, putting the 3B where the SS usually is, which confuses me.

Why not just leave the SS where he is supposed to be, and put the 3B behind 2B? Having the rangier fielder as the only guy on the left side seems smarter.

As it was, Colorado dunked a pop-up for a hit into short left-field, because 3B Colin Moran does not have great range, and Melky Cabrera was playing LF and he has virtually no range.

Different teams approach shifts differently, which makes it interesting.

12) Minnesota Twins hit 101 homers in their first 50 games, joining the ’99 Mariners as the only teams to homer 100+ times in their first 50 games of a season.

11) Major league baseball teams hit 59 homers in 14 games Friday, 2nd-most in a single day in baseball history, trailing only the 62 homers hit on July 2, 2002- there were 16 games played then, with a doubleheader in Boston that day.

10) Wrigley Field organist Gary Pressy worked his 2,633rd consecutive game Saturday; that means he hasn’t missed a home game since sometime in 1987- very impressive.

9) Went to an AAU tournament Saturday, first time I’ve done that in a couple years; the Gym Rat Challenge is a Memorial Day weekend tradition here in Albany– it is very well organized, spread out all over the Albany/Troy/Saratoga area.

They have three courts in the Times Union Center in downtown Albany, a 15,000-seat arena that is way too big for an event like this, but kids must enjoy playing there. Teams from all over the northeast come to the Gym Rat— good chance for kids to play against solid competition.

8) Astros 4, Red Sox 3— Boston starter David Price left this game after three batters with flu-like symptoms. Correa walked it off with a single in bottom of 9th.

7) College basketball transfer portal:
— Middle Tennessee State poaches Jalen Jordan from St Francis NY.

6) Diamondbacks 10, Giants 1— Arizona outscored San Francisco the last two days by combined score of 28-6. Going to be a rough summer for the Giants.

5) Mets 5 Tigers 4 (13)— Both teams ran out of position players, used a starting pitcher as a pinch-runner, graphic evidence that baseball is more interesting without the DH.

4) Phillies sent OF Nick Williams down to AAA earlier this week; he took the maximum amount of time to report, then played one game (went 2-5) and was given the weekend off by the Phillies to attend his girlfriend’s college graduation. I wish I was making this up.

Two years ago, Williams hit .288 with 12 homers in 83 games for the Phillies, but when the new regime took over last year, Williams’ star dimmed noticeably, and with Harper/McCutchen now in the Phils’ outfield, Williams is the odd man out.

I’m assuming he wants to be traded, but taking a weekend off to attend your girlfriend’s college graduation raises red flags about how much you care about playing, which makes it more difficult for you to be traded.

3) Baseball stuff:
— Angels put P Matt Harvey (back) on the IL.
— White Sox put C Welington Castillo on the 7-day concussion list.
— Pirates put P Chris Stratton on the IL.
— Astros put OF George Springer (hamstring) on IL.

2) Raptors 100, Bucks 94— Toronto advances to NBA Finals for first time, by sweeping last four games of series after losing Games 1-2 in Milwaukee.

1) Thoughts/prayers to Wisconsin assistant basketball coach Howard Moore, whose family was involved in a deadly car accident Saturday morning; coach Moore lost his wife and his daughter- he and his son are fighting for their lives. We wish them well.

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WNBA
Long Sheet

Sunday, May 26

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LOS ANGELES (0 - 0) at LAS VEGAS (0 - 0) - 5/26/2019, 8:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
LOS ANGELES is 4-2 against the spread versus LAS VEGAS over the last 3 seasons
LOS ANGELES is 5-1 straight up against LAS VEGAS over the last 3 seasons
3 of 5 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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WNBA

Sunday, May 26

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Trend Report
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Los Angeles Sparks
Los Angeles is 3-6 ATS in its last 9 games
Los Angeles is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games
Los Angeles is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
Los Angeles is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Los Angeles's last 8 games on the road
Los Angeles is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Las Vegas
Los Angeles is 6-12 ATS in its last 18 games when playing Las Vegas
Los Angeles is 12-1 SU in its last 13 games when playing Las Vegas
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Los Angeles's last 11 games when playing Las Vegas
Los Angeles is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Las Vegas
Los Angeles is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Las Vegas
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Los Angeles's last 7 games when playing on the road against Las Vegas
Las Vegas Aces
Las Vegas is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games
Las Vegas is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games
Las Vegas is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Las Vegas's last 6 games at home
Las Vegas is 12-6 ATS in its last 18 games when playing Los Angeles
Las Vegas is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Los Angeles
Las Vegas is 1-12 SU in its last 13 games when playing Los Angeles
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Las Vegas's last 11 games when playing Los Angeles
Las Vegas is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against Los Angeles
Las Vegas is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against Los Angeles
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Las Vegas's last 7 games when playing at home against Los Angeles

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WNBA
Dunkel

Sunday, May 26


Los Angeles @ Las Vegas

Game 611-612
May 26, 2019 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Los Angeles
111.349
Las Vegas
108.141
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Los Angeles
by 3
154
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Los Angeles
No Line
N/A
Dunkel Pick:
Los Angeles
N/A

[StarDust Bum]

Defending champ Storm dump Mercury

EVERETT, Wash. (AP) After the rings were handed out, the banner unveiled, the Seattle Storm proved there can be optimism about what they can accomplish even without Breanna Stewart and Sue Bird on the floor.

''Don't doubt us. Just don't doubt us,'' Seattle's Natasha Howard said. ''Even though we're down two players with injury, don't doubt us. Anything can happen this season.''

Howard had 21 points and 16 rebounds, Jewell Loyd added 17 points and the Seattle Storm opened defensive of their WNBA title with a 77-68 win over the Phoenix Mercury on Saturday.

Beginning a season where they will play without Stewart, the reigning league MVP, for the entire season and Bird, an 11-time All-Star for a significant portion, the Storm rallied from an 11-point first half deficit to make sure celebrating last year's title was capped with a victory.

With Bird sitting on the bench and Stewart a few feet away in a protective boot, Seattle's two biggest stars were forced to be spectators and watched their teammates outscore Phoenix 40-25 in the middle two quarters and hold off the best efforts of DeWanna Bonner to rally the Mercury. Bonner scored 15 straight points for Phoenix late in the third quarter and early in the fourth to pull the Mercury within 58-57. That's as close as they would get as Seattle outscored Phoenix 19-11 over the final seven minutes.

Bonner finished with 31 points, as the Mercury started a season where they will be without Diana Taurasi for a significant chunk after undergoing back surgery in late April. Brittney Griner added 18 points

''They know who is going to score for us and we need other people to be aggressive on offense and be more involved,'' Phoenix coach Sandy Brondello said.

Jordin Canada, starting for Bird, had eight of her 16 points in the fourth quarter for Seattle. Canada struggled with six turnovers in the first half. She had just one in the second half.

''The first half I was overthinking it too much, wasn't playing with a lot of poise and patience,'' Canada said. ''The second half my coaches talk to me, my teammates talked to me about staying in the moment.''

Playing in one of two temporary home arenas, Seattle received its championship rings, unveiled a championship banner with the three years it has won the league title then got a sense of what it will take without Bird and Stewart on the floor.

Bird will soon undergo left knee surgery. She may be able to return at the end of the season depending on her recovery. Stewart is out the entire season after tearing her right Achilles tendon playing overseas. Stewart was placed on the suspended list by the Storm earlier this week to clear a roster spot, but the WNBA has made Stewart an ambassador and will pay her in excess of the roughly $65,000 base salary she would have made with the Storm.

RING CEREMONY

Seattle was presented with its championship rings before tipoff. Included in the celebration was coach Dan Hughes, who recently underwent surgery to remove a cancerous tumor in his digestive tract. Hughes is out for an undetermined period while he undergoes treatment, accepted the first championship ring of his career as a head coach.

TEMPORARY HOME

Seattle is playing in temporary venues for at least the next two seasons while the arena at Seattle Center - formerly KeyArena - undergoes a complete renovation that will be the home for the Storm and Seattle's future NHL franchise when it reopens in 2021. The Storm are playing five games in Everett, about 30 miles north of Seattle. The remaining home games will be played at Alaska Airlines Arena on the University of Washington campus.

UP NEXT

Mercury: Phoenix hosts Las Vegas in its home opener next Friday.

Storm: Seattle travels to Minnesota on Wednesday.

[StarDust Bum]

SUNDAY, MAY 26
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

LA at LV 08:00 PM

LV -1.5

U 162.0

[StarDust Bum]

Las Vegas Aces put on show in opener even without Liz Cambage


LAS VEGAS -- Coach Bill Laimbeer refers to this desert oasis as a "big small town." As in, Las Vegas is a large enough metro area to support the WNBA's Aces well, but not so huge that they're lost in the landscape. This is a place, Laimbeer said, where someone like Liz Cambage can stand out -- and not just because she's 6-foot-8. But because she has star quality that extends beyond how good her game is.

Yet as excited as Las Vegas Aces fans are about getting the Australian center -- who came via trade with Dallas earlier this month -- their team showed them plenty in Sunday's season opener even without her. The Aces won 83-70 over the Los Angeles Sparks, getting 21 points and 11 rebounds from A'ja Wilson, last season's rookie of the year. Cambage, who is dealing with Achilles' tendinitis, did not play, sporting a black suit and a look of concentration during the game as she studied her new teammates and provided encouragement.

Wilson, one of three overall No. 1 draft picks on the roster along with Kelsey Plum (2017) and Jackie Young (2019), started Sunday where she left off as a rookie, as one of the most talented players on the floor. But guard Kayla McBride (20 points, seven rebounds) and forward Dearica Hamby (12 points, 14 rebounds) also shined for the Aces. Hamby, in her fifth season, came off the bench to give Las Vegas a lift, which is her specialty.

Las Vegas led throughout the game, and firmly took control by holding the Sparks to eight points in the second quarter. Los Angeles was without veteran forward Candace Parker, who has a hamstring injury. The Sparks have been known for their defense in recent years, but there were glitches in a different system under new coach Derek Fisher.

"It's going to take some time, but we have to be patient," Sparks guard Alana Beard said.

Sunday was the first time the Ogwumike sisters, Nneka and Chiney, have played together in the WNBA, with Chiney coming to Los Angeles in a trade from Connecticut. Nneka had 17 points and 11 rebounds. Chiney had a Sparks debut she'd probably like to forget, going 1-of-10 from the field and finishing with two points.

Maria Vadeeva, a Russian post player in her second season in the league, led Los Angeles with 24 points. It's uncertain how long they'll be without Parker, but they missed her despite the amount of talent they do have.

Young had a solid debut for the Aces, starting and going 4-for-4 from the field for eight points. Plum had 11 points and a team-high six assists. It was the kind of game that has to whet the appetite of Aces fans; if they played this well without Cambage, just wait until she's on the floor.

Laimbeer is frank -- and he's correct -- in saying that Tulsa was the worst place Cambage could have ended up when she was drafted into the WNBA at No. 2 in 2011. The franchise had just moved from Detroit, had someone in Nolan Richardson who'd never coached the women's game before, and too much was expected from the 19-year-old Cambage with a franchise that didn't have enough talent or strong direction.

Even though it has been a long road for her to get here, Laimbeer says he thinks it's the right fit. The anticipation will build for when she gets to take the court for the Aces. But Sunday's victory was a good indication that Vegas is good -- and will soon get even better.