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

[StarDust Bum]

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 19
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

CHI at NY 07:00 PM

CHI +2.0

U 165.0

[StarDust Bum]

Dream beat Fever, snap 5-game skid
June 19, 2019

ATLANTA (AP) Tiffany Hayes scored a season-high 28 points, Renee Montgomery added 16 points and nine assists, and the Atlanta Dream pulled away in the fourth quarter to beat the Indiana Fever 88-78 on Wednesday to snap a five-game skid.

Hayes was 9 of 15 from the field and hit 4 of 6 from 3-point range. Elizabeth Williams added 10 points and three blocks for the Dream (2-5).

Monique Billings made two free throws to give Atlanta the lead for good at 58-57, Montgomery added a 3-pointer and, after Candice Dupree hit a short jumper for Indiana, Montgomery sank a layup that made it 63-59 going into the fourth quarter.

Montgomery scored or assisted on 15 of the Dream's 25 fourth-quarter points, helping them build an 11-point lead when she kicked the ball out to Hayes for a long 3 with 3:33 to play.

Dupree led the Fever (4-5) with 19 points. She hit a jumper late in the first quarter that moved her past Sue Bird into seventh on the WNBA's career scoring list and now has 6,168 career points. Teaira McCowan, the No. 3 overall pick in the March draft, added 14 points, 14 rebounds and five blocks - all season highs - for Indiana.

The Fever have lost four of their last five games.

Atlanta, which came in averaging more than 16 turnovers per game, committed just six and hit a season-high 10 3-pointers on 22 attempts.

[StarDust Bum]

Vandersloot scores 24 points, Sky beat Liberty 91-83
June 19, 2019

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. (AP) Courtney Vandersloot wanted the ball in her hands with the game on the line.

She scored 25 points, hitting five of six free throws in the final 37.2 seconds, to help the Chicago Sky beat the New York Liberty 91-83 on Wednesday night.

''That's how you win games. Everyone says free throws are how you win games,'' said Vandersloot, who also had eight rebounds and six assists. ''We had the people willing to knock some shots down. That's how you win down the stretch.''

The Sky led 61-56 after the third quarter and scored nine of the first 11 points in the fourth quarter to open up a double-digit lead. New York (3-6) got to 82-78 with just under 2 minutes left. Amanda Zahui B. missed a fast-break layup on one and of the court and then Cheyenne Parker was fouled with 1:31 left. She made both free throws as the Sky made 9 of 10 from the line in the final 91 seconds to seal the win - their fourth straight.

''It's good we're on a nice little run,'' Vandersloot said. ''Nice to have a couple of road wins. Came into this season confident. We knew what we had. Knew what we could be. Just a matter of proving it to everyone else.''

Parker and Allie Quigley each had 13 points for the Sky (5-2).

Asia Durr scored 19 points to lead New York and Tina Charles added 16.

Chicago led 14-10 midway through the first quarter before holding the Liberty to just one basket over the rest of the quarter. The Sky led 20-12 after the period and were up 41-34 at the half. Kia Nurse looked to have hurt her lower leg with just over 2 minutes left in the first half. She sat out the rest of the half, but started the third quarter and played most of the final 20 minutes.

Nurse brushed off the injury talk after the game saying she was fine.

''I didn't get injured today, not sure why everyone keeps asking me that,'' the second-year guard said with her left foot wrapped in ice.

HEADING OVERSEAS: Zahui B. will be joining Sweden's national team for the EuroBasket tournament. Wednesday night was her last game with New York until the tournament ends. She had 13 points and 10 rebounds . New York is already without guard Bria Hartley, who is playing with France in the tournament. Chicago is missing Astou Ndour, who is playing for Spain.

UP NEXT:

Sky: Host Indiana on Friday night.

Liberty: At Minnesota on Saturday night.

[StarDust Bum]

SCHEDULE FOR THURSDAY JUNE 20, 2019
Time (ET) Away Home Site
8:00 PM Phoenix Mercury Dallas Wings College Park Center
10:00 PM Washington Mystics Las Vegas Aces Mandalay Bay Events Center


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


WNBA JUNE'S OPINIONS AND BEST BETS:

DATE W-L-T % UNITS RECORD

06/19/2019 1-1-0 50.00% -0.50
06/18/2019 1-1-0 50.00% -0.50
06/16/2019 1-3-0 25.00% -11.50
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..............29-28-3.... 50.87% -9.00


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

BEST BETS:

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


06/19/2019.............1 - 0.....................+5.00.................0 - 1.................-5.50................-0.50
06/18/2019.............1 - 0.....................+5.00.................0 - 1.................-5.50................-0.50
06/16/2019.............0 - 2.....................-11.00................1 - 1..................-0.50................-11.50
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....................13 -13.....................6.50...............13 - 14.................-12.00.............-18.50

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo: Thursday's six-pack

Odds to win Travelers Championship this week:

7-1— Brooks Koepka

10-1— Patrick Cantlay

16-1— Paul Casey, Jordan Spieth

18-1— Jason Day, Francesco Molinari

20-1— Justin Thomas

25-1— DeChambeau, Fleetwood, Leishman, Oosthuizen, Watson


**********

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

13) Nationals 2, Phillies 0— Max Scherzer broke his nose Tuesday during bunting practice, but he pitched the nightcap of this twinbill a day later, though he looked like Rocky Balboa, with a blackened right eye.

Throwing seven shutout innings the day after you break your nose is excellent.

12) Newly-signed P Dallas Keuchel will make his 2019 debut for the Braves Friday night against Washington.

11) San Diego’s Manny Machado hit a high infield pop-up Wednesday; four Brewers stared at each other and the ball fell harmlessly to the ground between the mound and the first base line. No one touched it, so it was called a single, which drives me nuts.

How the bleep can the pitcher be penalized for that? Next guy walked, next guy hit a home run and he gets nailed for three earned runs? That rule has to change; just plain stupid.

10) Milwaukee TV analyst Bill Schroeder, who is very good, ripped Machado for not being on second base when the ball fell, which ignites a different debate.

That ball gets caught 99 times out of 100; do you want your players sprinting when there is a 1% chance of getting an extra base, as opposed to a higher chance of pulling a muscle? I can see both sides of this argument.

9) Memphis Grizzlies traded PG Mike Conley to Utah for Kyle Korver, Jae Crowder and Grayson Allen, as well as two draft picks. Conley scored 21.1 ppg LY; he played the first 12 years of his NBA career with the Grizzlies.

8) Braves 7, Mets 2— Nick Markakis had played in 240 consecutive games, longest active streak in the major leagues; he didn’t start this game, but had a 2-run pinch single in the 8th inning to extend his streak to 241.

7) Baseball stuff:
— Braves put P Sean Newcomb on 7-day concussion IL.
— Tampa Bay put 3B Yandy Diaz (hamstring) on IL.

6) Random movie/TV trivia: actress Shera Danese, who played Vicky, the 2nd hooker in Risky Business, was married to Peter Falk (Columbo) for 34 years until he died in 2011. She appeared in six of the Columbo movies, from 1976-97.

5) College basketball transfer portal:
— F Karrington Davis bolts from Nebraska to Southern Illinois.

4) Alex Meruelo, who owns the SLS Las Vegas hotel/casino, was approved to become the owner of the NHL’s Arizona Coyotes. SLS has the smallest rooms I’ve ever stayed in in Las Vegas, but it was a cool place. Good food places there.

3) Detroit Lions’ QB Matthew Stafford played last season despite “tiny fractures in his back”; he was listed as questionable in Weeks 14-16, but started all three games.

2) Lakers and Pelicans are reportedly set to complete the Anthony Davis trade July 6; had they waited until July 30 to make the deal, LA would’ve saved $9M in cap space, and that difference could prevent them from pursuing another free agent for a max contract. No bueno.

1) Told you few days ago about this terrific new book “Then One Day” that I am reading now. Written by Chris Andrews, who runs the sportsbook at SouthPoint in Las Vegas, it is filled with stories from the gambling world over the last 40 years. An example……..

Have you ever played Keno in a casino? Keno is Chinese in origin; the guy who introduced it in Nevada casinos a long, long time ago got the idea by talking to Chinese immigrants who were working on the railroad in Montana, where the guy lived at the time.

I’ve never played Keno myself, but you always see people playing it in casinos. Knowing how it became a thing in Nevada, coming from China, is pretty interesting.

[StarDust Bum]

THURSDAY, JUNE 20
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

PHO at DAL 08:00 PM
PHO -6.0
U 148.0

WAS at LV 10:00 PM
WAS +5.0
O 164.5

[StarDust Bum]

WNBA

Thursday, June 20

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trend Report
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Phoenix Mercury
Phoenix is 2-5-1 ATS in its last 8 games
Phoenix is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Phoenix's last 6 games
Phoenix is 16-6-1 ATS in its last 23 games on the road
Phoenix is 1-3-1 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
Phoenix is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games on the road
Phoenix is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Dallas
Phoenix is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing Dallas
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Phoenix's last 6 games when playing Dallas
Phoenix is 4-11 ATS in its last 15 games when playing on the road against Dallas
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Phoenix's last 7 games when playing on the road against Dallas
Dallas Wings
Dallas is 4-14 ATS in its last 18 games
Dallas is 2-16 SU in its last 18 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Dallas's last 5 games
Dallas is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Dallas's last 9 games at home
Dallas is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Phoenix
Dallas is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing Phoenix
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Dallas's last 6 games when playing Phoenix
Dallas is 11-4 ATS in its last 15 games when playing at home against Phoenix
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Dallas's last 7 games when playing at home against Phoenix

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


----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


WNBA
Long Sheet

Thursday, June 20

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

PHOENIX (2 - 4) at DALLAS (1 - 5) - 6/20/2019, 8:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
PHOENIX is 5-2 against the spread versus DALLAS over the last 3 seasons
PHOENIX is 5-2 straight up against DALLAS over the last 3 seasons
5 of 7 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

WASHINGTON (5 - 3) at LAS VEGAS (4 - 3) - 6/20/2019, 10:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

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

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


WNBA (WOMEN'S PROFESSIONAL)

DUNKEL'S HIGHLIGHTED GAME

Washington at Las Vegas - Thursday June 20, 2019
The Washington Mystics come into tonight’s contests with a Dunkel road rating of 107.413. Washington is 1-4 ATS in its last five games following an ATS victory. The Las Vegas Aces have a home rating of 116.453. Las Vegas is 6-1 ATS in its last seven games versus Washington. The Washington Mystics have a Dunkel O/U road rating of 168.342. The Mystics have gone over in nine of their last 14 Thursday games. Dunkel’s Pick: Las Vegas (-5 1/2; Over).


THURSDAY JUNE 20, 2019

Washington
@
Las Vegas
Game 647-648
June 20, 2019 @ 10:00 pm

Dunkel Rating: Washington
107.413
Las Vegas
116.453
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total: Las Vegas
by 9
168
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total: Las Vegas
by 5 1/2
164 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Las Vegas
(-5 1/2); Over

[StarDust Bum]

Delle Donne scores 29 as Mystics rout Aces 95-72
June 21, 2019
By The Associated Press

Elena Delle Donne had 29 points and 11 rebounds, Ariel Atkins added 19 points and the Washington Mystics beat the Las Vegas Aces 95-72 on Thursday night.

Delle Donne scored 10 of Washington's first 21 points and the Mystics (6-3) led 30-19 at the end of the first quarter. She had 16 points at the break as Washington led 51-39 after being ahead by as many as 15. Washington opened the fourth quarter by scoring the first seven points for a 79-61 advantage to put the game away.

A'ja Wilson scored 28 points on 11-of-14 shooting for Las Vegas (4-4), which had a two-game winning streak end. Liz Cambage added 14 points and six rebounds.

WINGS 69, MERCURY 54

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) - Kayla Thornton had 18 points and 11 rebounds, Theresa Plaisance added 12 points and 11 rebounds and Dallas beat Phoenix.

Dallas (2-5) led by nine points entering the fourth quarter, but Phoenix (2-5) made four 3-pointers in the first three minutes to pull to 53-52. The Wings scored the next 12 points to seal it as the Mercury went scoreless for nearly six minutes.

Leilani Mitchell led Phoenix (2-5) with 12 points. Brittney Griner added 11 points and blocked four shots to move into a tie with Lauren Jackson for third on the WNBA career list with 586.

[StarDust Bum]

SCHEDULE FOR FRIDAY JUNE 21, 2019
Time (ET) Away Home Site
7:30 PM Atlanta Dream Connecticut Sun Mohegan Sun Arena
8:00 PM Indiana Fever Chicago Sky Wintrust Arena
10:00 PM Los Angeles Sparks Seattle Storm Angel of the Winds Arena

SCHEDULE FOR SATURDAY JUNE 22, 2019
Time (ET) Away Home Site
8:00 PM New York Liberty Minnesota Lynx Target Center
10:30 PM Dallas Wings Las Vegas Aces Mandalay Bay Events Center

SCHEDULE FOR SUNDAY JUNE 23, 2019
Time (ET) Away Home Site
1:00 PM Washington Mystics Atlanta Dream McCamish Pavilion
6:00 PM Connecticut Sun Chicago Sky Wintrust Arena
6:00 PM Los Angeles Sparks Phoenix Mercury Talking Stick Resort Arena
7:00 PM Indiana Fever Seattle Storm KeyArena


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


WNBA JUNE'S OPINIONS AND BEST BETS:

DATE W-L-T % UNITS RECORD

06/20/2019 3-1-0 75.00% +9.50
06/19/2019 1-1-0 50.00% -0.50
06/18/2019 1-1-0 50.00% -0.50
06/16/2019 1-3-0 25.00% -11.50
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..............32-29-3.... 52.45% +0.50


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

BEST BETS:

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


06/20/2019.............1 - 1......................-0.50.................2 - 1................+10.00..............+9.50
06/19/2019.............1 - 0.....................+5.00.................0 - 1.................-5.50................-0.50
06/18/2019.............1 - 0.....................+5.00.................0 - 1.................-5.50................-0.50
06/16/2019.............0 - 2.....................-11.00................1 - 1..................-0.50................-11.50
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....................14 -14.....................7.00...............15 - 14.................-2.00................-9.00

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo: Friday's six-pack

Updated spreads for Week 1 NFL games:

— Packers @ Bears (-3.5, 45.5)

— Falcons @ Vikings (-4, 47)

— Redskins @ Eagles (-8.5, 46.5)

— Bills @ Jets (-3, 38.5)

— Ravens (-4.5, 37) @ Dolphins

— 49ers @ Buccaneers (-1, 49)


**********

Armadillo: Friday's List of 13: Wrapping up a busy Thursday……..

13) I’m not fond of how the NBA runs it draft; when a pick gets traded (the #4 pick got traded twice), they still have the team who originally had the pick posted as the team making that pick. It is nonsensical.

Lakers had the #4 pick; they traded it to New Orleans, who traded it to Atlanta; everyone in the damn country knows this, so post it on your graphics and announce it as Atlanta’s pick— how freaking difficult can that be?

12) One of the most interesting teams in the NBA next season will be Cleveland, since 66-year old John Beilein will be a rookie NBA coach, after having been a great college coach.

Cavaliers took PG Darius Garland with the #5 pick; he only played four college games at Vandy before getting hurt, which wound up costing his college coach his job, since the team went in the ashcan without their point guard.

Cleveland already has Collin Sexton, so maybe they foresee a backcourt like Portland’s, with McCollum, Lillard.

11) Miami Heat traded three 2nd-round picks to Indiana for the 32nd pick, then took 6-10 KZ Okpala from Stanford; this from a scout: “Didn’t always have the defensive impact you might expect, particularly off the ball. Lacks a degree of physicality and toughness at times.”

Three 2nd round picks is a high price, so Miami must see a lot of potential.

10) New Orleans Pelicans traded the #4 pick, the #57 pick and Solomon Hill to Atlanta for the #8 and #17 picks, giving the Pelicans three first round picks.

With the #4 pick, the Hawks took De’Andre Hunter, who helped lead Virginia to the national title this past spring.

New Orleans took big guy Jaxson Hayes (Texas) and Nickeil Alexander-Walker (Virginia Tech) with the picks they got in the deal.

9) Oklahoma City took Chuma Okeke with the 16th pick; this is the kid from Auburn who tore his ACL during the NCAA tournament, so he won’t be any help this coming season, but Thunder must figure the knee will be fine. This pick was largely panned by the TV experts.

8) Gonzaga’s Rui Hachimura, Brandon Clarke both got taken in the first 21 picks, first time ever the Zags have had two first round draft picks in the same year.

7) You feel bad for kids who show up in Brooklyn for the draft and then slide down the draft board; has to be humbling. Oregon’s 7-3 C Bol Bol sat there for four hours before he wound up with the Denver Nuggets, the 44th player taken.

Bol is 7-foot-3 with a standing reach of 9’7.5, shot 52% from the arc, is an elite rim protector, averaged 21.0 ppg, 9.6 rpg, 2.7 bpg in nine games. Doesn’t turn 20 until November, but teams have questions whether he really loves basketball, which would be a serious problem.

6) Former Today Show host Matt Lauer put his Hamptons mansion on Long Island up for sale for about $44M, now that his divorce is final.

People say athletes are overpaid, and most are, but a guy hosting a 7am news show owning an estate worth $44M? Damn. Just for the record, Lauer bought the estate from Richard Gere for $36.5M in 2016.

5) Mets fired their pitching coach/bullpen coach Thursday; not sure what the bullpen coach did to get fired, unless he doesn’t answer the bullpen phone fast enough.

The new bullpen coach is Ricky Bones, who was bullpen coach last year but got the boot after the season.

4) Your tax dollars at work in the Tar Heel State:

Pinecrest HS in North Carolina lost the ACT test answer sheets for their entire junior class — that’s everyone who took the ACT on February 20 and March 13. All 440 answer sheets.

School administrators “have no idea” where the answer sheets are; kids will get re-tested when they go back to school this fall. Not good!!!!

3) Baseball stuff:
— Rockies put SS Trevor Story (thumb) on the IL.
— Rockies’ 3B Nolan Arenado (foot) left Thursday’s game early.

2) An executive with the New England Patriots decided to leave the team after owner Robert Kraft was charged with two counts of soliciting this past winter; the guy moved on to a similar job with Houston, then created a mess when he tried to recruit Nick Caserio to join him with the Texans. That is tampering, so Caserio remains in Foxboro.

How much will all this affect Caserio’s work this season? His contract is up after the 2020 draft; will he move on to Houston then?

1) Tampa Bay Rays got permission from MLB to explore splitting their home games between St Petersburg and Montreal; the mayor of St Pete wasn’t pleased.

“I believe this is getting a bit silly. After 12 years of indecision… I am tired of the games that are being played related to getting a new stadium built.”

[StarDust Bum]

WNBA

Friday, June 21

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trend Report
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Atlanta Dream
Atlanta is 2-7 ATS in its last 9 games
Atlanta is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Atlanta's last 7 games
Atlanta is 9-4 ATS in its last 13 games on the road
Atlanta is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
Atlanta is 8-4 SU in its last 12 games on the road
Atlanta is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games on the road
Atlanta is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Connecticut
Atlanta is 11-3 SU in its last 14 games when playing Connecticut
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Atlanta's last 5 games when playing Connecticut
Atlanta is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Connecticut
Atlanta is 4-10 ATS in its last 14 games when playing on the road against Connecticut
Atlanta is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Connecticut
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Atlanta's last 5 games when playing on the road against Connecticut

Connecticut Sun
Connecticut is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games
Connecticut is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Connecticut's last 7 games
Connecticut is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games at home
Connecticut is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
Connecticut is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Atlanta
Connecticut is 3-11 SU in its last 14 games when playing Atlanta
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Connecticut's last 5 games when playing Atlanta
Connecticut is 10-4 ATS in its last 14 games when playing at home against Atlanta
Connecticut is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against Atlanta
Connecticut is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Atlanta
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Connecticut's last 5 games when playing at home against Atlanta


Indiana Fever
Indiana is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games
Indiana is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Indiana's last 11 games
Indiana is 6-19 SU in its last 25 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Indiana's last 5 games on the road
Indiana is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Chicago
Indiana is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing Chicago
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Indiana's last 6 games when playing Chicago
Indiana is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Chicago
Indiana is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Chicago
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Indiana's last 5 games when playing on the road against Chicago

Chicago Sky
Chicago is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games
Chicago is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Chicago's last 7 games
Chicago is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games at home
Chicago is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Chicago's last 6 games at home
Chicago is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Indiana
Chicago is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Indiana
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Chicago's last 6 games when playing Indiana
Chicago is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against Indiana
Chicago is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Indiana
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Chicago's last 5 games when playing at home against Indiana


Los Angeles Sparks
Los Angeles is 2-3-1 ATS in its last 6 games
Los Angeles is 2-3-1 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
Los Angeles is 3-7 SU in its last 10 games on the road
Los Angeles is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Seattle
Los Angeles is 4-9 SU in its last 13 games when playing Seattle
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Los Angeles's last 5 games when playing Seattle
Los Angeles is 1-6 ATS in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Seattle
Los Angeles is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Seattle
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Los Angeles's last 5 games when playing on the road against Seattle

Seattle Storm
Seattle is 18-7 SU in its last 25 games
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Seattle's last 9 games
Seattle is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games at home
Seattle is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
Seattle is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Los Angeles
Seattle is 9-4 SU in its last 13 games when playing Los Angeles
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Seattle's last 5 games when playing Los Angeles
Seattle is 6-1 ATS in its last 7 games when playing at home against Los Angeles
Seattle is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against Los Angeles
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Seattle's last 5 games when playing at home against Los Angeles


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


WNBA Basketball Trend Report

ATLANTA (2 - 5) at CONNECTICUT (8 - 1) - 6/21/2019, 7:30 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.
Head-to-Head Series History
ATLANTA is 5-2 against the spread versus CONNECTICUT over the last 3 seasons
ATLANTA is 4-3 straight up against CONNECTICUT over the last 3 seasons
5 of 7 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

INDIANA (4 - 5) at CHICAGO (5 - 2) - 6/21/2019, 8:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.
Head-to-Head Series History
CHICAGO is 4-3 against the spread versus INDIANA over the last 3 seasons
CHICAGO is 4-3 straight up against INDIANA over the last 3 seasons
4 of 7 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
LOS ANGELES (4 - 4) at SEATTLE (5 - 4) - 6/21/2019, 10:30 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

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


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


WNBA (WOMEN'S PROFESSIONAL)

DUNKEL'S HIGHLIGHTED GAME

Los Angeles at Seattle - Friday June 21, 2019
The Los Angeles Sparks come into tonight’s contests with a Dunkel road rating of 106.878. Los Angeles is 1-6 ATS in its last seven games at Seattle. The Seattle Storm come in with a home rating of 112.687. Seattle is 4-1 ATS in its last five home games. The Los Angeles Sparks have a Dunkel road O/U rating of 166.216. Dunkel’s Pick: Seattle (+1; Over).


Highest-rated Favorite: Connecticut 122.961
Lowest-rated Favorite: Los Angeles 106.878
Highest-rated Underdog: Seattle 112.687
Lowest-rated Underdog: Indiana 104.973
Highest O/U Rating: Los Angeles 166.216
Lowest O/U Rating: Atlanta 147.110


FRIDAY JUNE 21, 2019

Atlanta
@
Connecticut
Game 651-652
June 21, 2019 @ 7:30 pm

Dunkel Rating: Atlanta
106.221
Connecticut
122.961
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total: Connecticut
by 16 1/2
147
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total: Connecticut
by 12 1/2
153
Dunkel Pick: Connecticut
(-12 1/2); Under


Indiana
@
Chicago
Game 653-654
June 21, 2019 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating: Indiana
104.973
Chicago
111.325
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total: Chicago
by 6 1/2
155
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total: Chicago
by 4 1/2
163
Dunkel Pick: Chicago
(-4 1/2); Under


Los Angeles
@
Seattle
Game 655-656
June 21, 2019 @ 10:30 pm

Dunkel Rating: Los Angeles
106.878
Seattle
112.687
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total: Seattle
by 6
166
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total: Los Angeles
by 1
153
Dunkel Pick: Seattle
(+1); Over

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Dream (2-5) at Sun (8-1)
Date: June 21, 2019 7:30 PM EDT

Currently the hottest team in the WNBA, the Connecticut Sun look to extend their franchise-record 12-game home winning streak and record their seventh consecutive victory overall Friday night when they host the Atlanta Dream.

Connecticut (8-1) has the league's best record and threw down the gauntlet to the rest of the WNBA with its 81-67 triumph over reigning champion Seattle on Sunday. Alyssa Thomas scored 20 points and Shekinna Stricklen added 16 as the Sun pulled away from the Storm in the fourth quarter behind eight points from Thomas in a game-breaking 12-4 burst.

"You just try to take care of the home court," Thomas told The Associated Press. "We have had a lot of success here and we feed off the energy of the crowd."

Jonquel Jones, who was named Eastern Conference player of the week for the third week running, chipped in 13 points, 11 rebounds, and six assists for her second straight double-double and sixth on the season. Jones is averaging a career-best 17.2 points and a league-high 12.0 rebounds.

Connecticut, which avenged its last regular-season home loss with Sunday's victory, has averaged 85 points in its five home wins in 2019 while outscoring opponents by 12 per contest.

Atlanta (2-5) is still struggling to find a rhythm without star Angel McCoughtry but did snap a five-game losing streak with an 88-78 win over Indiana on Wednesday. Tiffany Hayes scored a season-high 28 points as the Dream broke out offensively, registering a season high in points and 3-pointers made (10) while committing just six turnovers.

"I think we were due," Dream coach Nicki Collen told the team's official website. "I think we were due for a good quarter. I do think this team still believes. I don't think we ever lost the locker room. â?¦ I think what we've battled so far this year is kind of the expectation and the idea of you still have to grind and you still have to make progress every day and compete on every possession. That's what we've done."

Renee Montgomery contributed season highs of 16 points and nine assists in the victory while also hitting 4 of 9 from 3-point range. Atlanta will be counting on Montgomery to provide that kind of backcourt scoring with Alex Bentley away representing Belarus at the EuroBasket tournament in Serbia.

To fill Bentley's spot on the roster, the Dream signed Natasha Hiedeman, the 2019 Big East Player of the Year at Marquette who was one of the last preseason cuts by the Sun after being selected 18th overall in the WNBA Draft.

Jones had 17 points and 13 rebounds as Connecticut grinded to a 65-59 victory at Atlanta on June 9. Thomas added 12 points and 12 boards as the Sun won despite being held to a season low in points. Hayes and Brittany Sykes scored 14 points apiece for the Dream but were a combined 12 for 37.

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


WNBA HEAD TO HEAD

Jun 9, 2019 Score ATS Results
CONN « 65 Under: 124
ATL 59 Cover: 0.5
Tools: Recaps

Jul 17, 2018 Score ATS Results
ATL « 86 Cover: 10
CONN 83 Under: 169
Tools: Recaps

Jun 22, 2018 Score ATS Results
CONN 70 Under: 145
ATL « 75 Cover: 11
Tools: Recaps

Jun 5, 2018 Score ATS Results
CONN 77 Under: 159
ATL « 82 Cover: 11.5
Tools: Recaps

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Fever (4-5) at Sky (5-2)
Date: June 21, 2019 8:00 PM EDT

After a successful two-game road swing, the Chicago Sky look to record a fifth consecutive victory and stay unbeaten at home Friday night when they host the slumping Indiana Fever.

Chicago (5-2) is trying to keep Connecticut in sight as it has the league's second-best record. The Sky's three-guard combo of Courtney Vandersloot, Allie Quigley, and Diamond DeShields combined for 50 points in their 91-83 win at New York on Wednesday night, with Vandersloot sinking 5 of 6 free throws in the final 37.2 seconds.

"That's how you win games. Everyone says free throws are how you win games," said Vandersloot, who finished with 25 points, eight rebounds, and six assists, to The Associated Press. "We had the people willing to knock some shots down. That's how you win down the stretch."

Vandersloot leads the WNBA with 8 assists per game and is on pace to lead the league in assists for the second straight year and fourth time in her career. But she has been willing to take on a greater scoring role - her 11.9 points per game is the second-best of her career - as Chicago seeks its first five-game winning streak since July 7-20, 2013.

"I've spoken about it since I got hired, how valuable she was, not only to us but to the WNBA," first-year coach James Wade told the Chicago Sun-Times as he stumped for Vandersloot to get an All-Star nod. "I hope she gets celebrated as such."

Indiana (4-5) has cooled off since winning three of its first four games, looking more like the team that was expected to take smaller steps in its rebuild after a 6-win 2018. The Fever came undone in the fourth quarter of their 88-78 loss to Atlanta on Wednesday night, scoring just one basket in a 3:44 stretch while failing to cut into a five-point deficit.

Candice Dupree scored 19 points while rookie center Teaira McCowan had season bests of 14 points, 15 rebounds, and five blocks in her first pro start. The 6-foot-7 McCowan tied the rookie franchise record for rebounds set by Tamika Catchings in 2002, and coach Pokey Chatman was especially pleased with the No. 3 overall pick's effort on the defensive end.

"Those blocks are wonderful, but we also look at the shots she alters. Fans love the blocks, but coaches love all the ones she alters," the Fever coach told the club's official website. "She is learning the pace of the game. She held her own and she'll continue to get better."

Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell has averaged 16.7 points in her last three games but is shooting 32 percent in that stretch.

Vandersloot had nine points and eight assists to help the Sky record a 70-64 victory at Indiana on Saturday. Quigley finished with 18 points as Chicago shook off a slow start in which it scored four points in the first 6:22.


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


WNBA HEAD TO HEAD

Jun 15, 2019 Score ATS Results
CHI « 70 Cover: 9.5
IND 64 Under: 134
Tools: Recaps

Aug 19, 2018 Score ATS Results
IND « 97 Cover: 13.5
CHI 92 Over: 189
Tools: Recaps

Aug 18, 2018 Score ATS Results
CHI « 115 Cover: 5.5
IND 106 Over: 221
Tools: Recaps

May 19, 2018 Score ATS Results
CHI « 82 Cover: 20
IND 64 Under: 146
Tools: Recaps

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Sparks (4-4) at Storm (5-4)
Date: June 21, 2019 10:30 PM EDT

Despite missing some key figures, things have gone relatively well to begin the Seattle Storm's follow-up of their championship season. Now, they're about to get one important piece back into the puzzle.

Just over a month after undergoing surgery to remove a tumor from his digestive tract, coach Dan Hughes makes his season debut Friday night when the Storm look to remain undefeated at home and hand the Los Angeles Sparks a third straight defeat.

The veteran WNBA coach made his cancer diagnosis public prior to the beginning of the season and underwent surgery to remove a carcinoid tumor on May 14. His recovery has gone well and Hughes is finally ready to run the team, which is a decent 5-4 under assistant Gary Kloppenburg, despite missing stars Breanna Stewart (Achilles) and Sue Bird (knee).

"(I'm) grateful to Gary Kloppenburg and the Storm coaching staff, who guided our team through a grueling stretch of the schedule with finesse," the 64-year Hughes said. "Our team has demonstrated incredible resilience, and we will continue to fight each and every game."

The Storm have played all but two games away from home and fell 81-67 at league-leading Connecticut on Sunday to complete a 2-2 road stretch. Having Hughes back on the sidelines could be a source of motivation for Seattle, which has won both of its home contests. Its home games are being played at two different area arenas while KeyArena undergoes renovation.

"It's going to be great to have Dan back," Kloppenburg said.

Natasha Howard (19.6 points per game, 9.2 rebounds per game) has been a major presence for the Storm in the absence of their two superstars. She's averaged 21.3 points in the last four games after scoring 20 on Sunday, when Seattle was outscored 25-13 in the final quarter.

This will be the first 2019 meeting between the Storm and Sparks (4-4). Los Angeles fell 81-52 at home to Washington on Tuesday, even with its own superstar Candace Parker playing for the first time since suffering a preseason hamstring injury.

Parker had three points on 1-of-9 shooting and five rebounds in just under 25 minutes as Los Angeles shot just 28.8 percent, including 3 of 19 from 3-point range, and turned the ball over an astounding 26 times. Parker committed six of those turnovers.

"Candace, obviously, is not at her peak levels, and, obviously, a lot of our group, expected things to happen - because she's back - that are just not going to magically appear," coach Derek Fisher said as posted on the Sparks' official Facebook page.

"We still have to manage the details and the small things that go into the execution."

While Los Angeles aims to get back on track, it can also win three consecutive road contests for the first time this season. Guard Chelsea Gray is averaging 15.6 points during a strong start to her season, but looks to rebound after scoring eight on 4-of-12 shooting versus Washington.

Parker averaged 18 points while the Sparks dropped two of three against the Storm in 2018.


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


WNBA HEAD TO HEAD

Jul 10, 2018 Score ATS Results
LOS « 77 Cover: 5
SEA 75 Under: 152
Tools: Recaps

Jun 28, 2018 Score ATS Results
LOS 72 Under: 153
SEA « 81 Cover: 6
Tools: Recaps

Jun 7, 2018 Score ATS Results
SEA « 88 Cover: 33
LOS 63 Under: 151
Tools: Recaps

[StarDust Bum]

FRIDAY, JUNE 21
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

ATL at CONN 07:30 PM
ATL +12.5
U 153.0

IND at CHI 08:00 PM
CHI -5.0
O 163.5

LA at SEA 10:30 PM
SEA +2.0
U 155.0