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

[StarDust Bum]

Howard leads Storm to 90-79 win over Lynx
July 17, 2019
By The Associated Press

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) Natasha Howard scored a career-high 33 points, Sami Whitcomb made five of Seattle's 12 3-pointers and the Storm closed the game on a 10-0 run to beat the Minnesota Lynx 90-79 on Wednesday night.

Seattle led 78-66 with 6:25 left until Minnesota made 3-pointers on its next three possessions to pull within three. The Lynx got as close as 80-79 , but Seattle answered with 10 straight points, highlighted by Whitcomb's drive and no-look pass to Alysha Clark.

Whitcomb had 15 points and eight assists and Clark added 12 points and seven rebounds. Seattle (11-8) has won a season-high three straight games without stars Breanna Stewart, Sue Bird and Jewell Loyd.

Seattle opened the game on a 15-4 run as Minnesota made just two of its first eight shots. The Storm led 26-16 after the first quarter and 40-30 at halftime behind 25 combined points from Howard and Whitcomb.

Sylvia Fowles had 16 points and seven rebounds for Minnesota (10-8). Danielle Robinson added 14 points, 10 assists and four steals.

MERCURY 69, WINGS 64

PHOENIX (AP) - Brittney Griner scored 23 points, including the go-ahead basket with 33.9 seconds left, and the Mercury held off the Wings.

Griner made a hook shot in the lane to give Phoenix a 65-64 lead. After Kaela Davis was off on a 3-pointer, DeWanna Bonner sank two free throws for a three-point lead. Dallas elected to go for a quick 2-point shot, Griner grabbed the miss and she made two free throws to seal it.

Essence Carson and Camille Little each added 11 points for Phoenix (8-8).

Arike Ogunbowale scored 14 points on 6-of-22 shooting for Dallas (5-12), which is winless on the road this season in eight attempts.

SKY 77, DREAM 76

CHICAGO (AP) - Diamond DeShields scored 20 of her season-high 22 points in the first half, Stefanie Dolson made a go-ahead layup with 2.3 seconds left and the Sky beat the Dream.

DeShields made 1 of 2 free throws with 31.3 seconds left to pull Chicago to 76-75, and the Sky forced Atlanta into a long 3-pointer by Alex Bentley at the other end. After a timeout at 6.9, Courtney Vandersloot drew two defenders on a drive into the lane and found an open Dolson under the basket. Atlanta had an open shot in the corner at the buzzer but Brittney Sykes' shot was off the mark.

DeShields was 10 of 13 from the free-throw line and also grabbed eight rebounds for Chicago (10-8), which has won three straight games.

Renee Montgomery led Atlanta (5-12) with 23 points and six assists.

[StarDust Bum]

SCHEDULE FOR THURSDAY JULY 18, 2019
Time (ET) Away Home Site
3:30 PM Dallas Wings Los Angeles Sparks Staples Center


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WNBA JULY'S OPINIONS AND BEST BETS: ALL BASED ON 5 UNITS

DATE W-L-T % UNITS RECORD

07/17/2019 3-1-0 75.00% +9.50
07/07/2019 3-5-0 37.50% -12.50
07/06/2019 1-1-0 50.00% -0.50
07/05/2019 6-2-0 75.00% +19.00
07/03/2019 1-1-0 50.00% -0.50
07/02/2019 3-1-0 75.00% +9.50


Totals............17-11-0 .......60.71% ....+24.50


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BEST BETS:

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



07/17/2019.............1 - 1....................-0.50..................2 - 0.................+10.00.............+9.50
07/07/2019.............2 - 2....................-1.00..................1 - 3.................-11.50...............-12.50
07/06/2019.............0 - 1....................-5.50..................1 - 0.................+5.00...............-0.50
07/05/2019.............3 - 1....................+9.50.................2 - 1.................+4.50...............+14.00
07/03/2019.............1 - 0....................+5.00.................0 - 1..................-5.50................-0.50
07/02/2019.............2 - 0....................+10.00...............1 - 1..................-0.50................+9.50


Totals.....................9 - 5....................+17.50...............7 - 6..................+2.00...............+19.50

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo: Thursday's six-pack

Some Week 1 NFL spreads:

— Packers @ Bears (-3,5. 46)

— Falcons @ Vikings (-4, 47.5)

— Redskins @ Eagles (-9, 46.5)

— Bills @ Jets (-3,5. 38.5)

— Ravens (-4.5, 37.5) @ Dolphins

— 49ers @ Buccaneers (even, 49)


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

13) Spent Wednesday afternoon in Rivers Casino’s new sportsbook in Schenectady and had an excellent time; it was (kind of) like being in Las Vegas.

Not sure what they’re going to do when football starts, because it’ll be very crowded, but they’ve got betting kiosks which should help you make wagers quicker than if you wait on line.

12) Dodgers 7, Phillies 2— Long rain delay in the third inning of this game; teams play again at 1:00 this afternoon, not much turnaround time, less than 12 hours.

11) San Diego Padres have been no-hit ten times, but have never thrown one. There have been 134 no-hitters since 1969, when the Padres joined the big leagues.

Former Miami farmhand Chris Paddack took a no-hitter into the 8th inning for the Padres Wednesday night; he had to settle for a 3-2 win.

10) A’s 10, Mariners 2— Oakland hit six homers as they won Homer Bailey’s debut in green and gold. Ramon Laureano homered and made another great catch in centerfield.

9) Giants 11, Rockies 8— Colorado’s season is spinning out of control; anytime their hitters don’t put up a 10-spot (and sometimes even when they do), their pitching can’t hold up. Rockies are 2-11 in their last 13 games, outscored 108-57.

8) AAA Albuquerque Isotopes (Colorado’s farm team) had 50 cent hot dog nite last night and drew 10,225 fans who bought a total of 35,174 hot dogs. Cheap food is a popular promotion.

7) Baseball stuff:
— White Sox put OF Eloy Jimenez (elbow) on the IL.
— White Sox activated C Welington Castillo from the IL.
— Phillies put OF Jay Bruce (oblique) on the IL.
— Royals put SS Adelberto Mondesi (shoulder) on the IL.

6) Arizona 19, Texas 4— Eduardo Escobar homered from both sides of the plate.

5) Atlanta Falcons are paying their defense this week; first DT Grady Jarrett got a 4-year, $68M deal, then LB Deion Jones got a 4-year, $57M extension.

4) If you do offseason NBA research, keep in mind that over the last two seasons, the Denver Nuggets are 23-8 in games decided by three-points or less.

3) With Tony Parker retiring, JJ Redick is the only active player in the NBA who has been in the league for 13+ years and has been in the playoffs every year.

2) Mets 14, Twins 4— Minnesota led 3-2 after six innings; not a good day for their bullpen.

1) Saturday is the 50th anniversary of the first time a guy walked on the moon; imagine what that must have been like? Doing something just about no one else has ever done. Amazing.

[StarDust Bum]

WNBA

Thursday, July 18

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Trend Report
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Dallas Wings
Dallas is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games
Dallas is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 13 of Dallas's last 17 games
Dallas is 3-13 ATS in its last 16 games on the road
Dallas is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Dallas's last 8 games on the road
Dallas is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Los Angeles
Dallas is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Los Angeles
The total has gone OVER in 9 of Dallas's last 12 games when playing Los Angeles
Dallas is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Los Angeles
Dallas is 1-7 SU in its last 8 games when playing on the road against Los Angeles
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Dallas's last 6 games when playing on the road against Los Angeles
Los Angeles Sparks
Los Angeles is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games
Los Angeles is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Los Angeles's last 7 games
Los Angeles is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games at home
Los Angeles is 8-2 SU in its last 10 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Los Angeles's last 5 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 18 of Los Angeles's last 25 games at home
Los Angeles is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Dallas
Los Angeles is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing Dallas
The total has gone OVER in 9 of Los Angeles's last 12 games when playing Dallas
Los Angeles is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against Dallas
Los Angeles is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games when playing at home against Dallas
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Los Angeles's last 6 games when playing at home against Dallas


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WNBA
Long Sheet

Thursday, July 18

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DALLAS (5 - 12) at LOS ANGELES (9 - 7) - 7/18/2019, 3:30 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
DALLAS is 7-1 against the spread versus LOS ANGELES over the last 3 seasons
DALLAS is 5-3 straight up against LOS ANGELES over the last 3 seasons
5 of 8 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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By: Rohit Ponnaiya

DALLAS WINGS AT LOS ANGELES SPARKS (-7.5, 151)

The Sparks are coming off an overtime road win in Atlanta and have won five of their last six games. They've won their last three games at home by an average score of 92.7-74.7.

That said, they will have to play today without Candace Parker, Alana Beard and Maria Vadeeva, all sidelined with injuries. While guard Riquna Williams, who had averaged 16.8 points per game over her last six games, will begin serving a 10-game suspension after a WNBA investigation into a domestic violence incident. They will be very short-handed for this game and will have to rely on the Ogwumike sisters and Chelsea Gray to carry the load.

This just in: the Dallas Wings are bad. And not in a "Bad Bad Leroy Brown" sort of way. The Wings are 5-11, including 0-7 on the road where they have an average scoring margin of minus-11.6. During the first half they have an average scoring margin of minus-7.4 in away games.

L.A.'s lack of depth could make them tire down the stretch but they should be able to build a decent lead in the first half. Back them on the 1H spread.

PREDICTION: First Half Los Angeles -4.5

Wednesday’s picks: 0-2
Season to date: 39-26


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WNBA
Dunkel

Thursday, July 18


Dallas @ Los Angeles

Game 629-630
July 18, 2019 @ 3:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Dallas
107.709
Los Angeles
112.826
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Los Angeles
by 5
157
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Los Angeles
by 7 1/2
151
Dunkel Pick:
Dallas
(+7 1/2); Over

[StarDust Bum]

THURSDAY, JULY 18
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

DAL at LA 03:30 PM

LA -7.0

O 151.0

[StarDust Bum]

Ogwumike scores 22 points in Sparks' win
July 18, 2019

LOS ANGELES (AP) Nneka Ogwumike scored 13 of her 22 points in a decisive third quarter to help the Los Angeles Sparks beat the Dallas Wings 69-64 on Thursday.

Los Angeles trailed by as many as 16 points in the first half, then outscored Dallas 24-9 in the third to take its first lead, 52-51, since 11-10. Chelsea Gray highlighted the fourth with a no-look pass in the lane to Ogwumike for a 63-59 lead.

Chiney Ogwumike added 12 points, and Gray had 11 points, nine rebounds, four assists and three steals for Los Angeles (10-7), which does not play again at home until August 1. The Sparks finished 19 of 21 from the free-throw line.

Los Angeles star Candace Parker did not play for a third straight game because of an ankle injury.

The Sparks also are without guard Riquna Williams after she was suspended without pay for 10 games by the WNBA on Tuesday for a domestic violence incident. Williams was arrested April 29 and charged with two felony counts, one involving the assault of an individual with whom she was in a relationship and the other involving a threat to another person with a firearm. Her criminal case is ongoing.

Isabelle Harrison had 14 points and nine rebounds for Dallas (5-13). The Wings have lost 16 straight games on the road, nine this season, with their win coming on July 12, 2018, against the Sparks.

[StarDust Bum]

SCHEDULE FOR FRIDAY JULY 19, 2019
Time (ET) Away Home Site
7:00 PM Washington Mystics Indiana Fever Bankers Life Fieldhouse
7:30 PM Atlanta Dream Connecticut Sun Mohegan Sun Arena
10:00 PM Las Vegas Aces Seattle Storm Alaska Airlines Arena

SCHEDULE FOR SATURDAY JULY 20, 2019
Time (ET) Away Home Site
3:00 PM Los Angeles Sparks New York Liberty Westchester County Center
8:00 PM Phoenix Mercury Dallas Wings College Park Center

SCHEDULE FOR SUNDAY JULY 21, 2019
Time (ET) Away Home Site
3:00 PM Atlanta Dream Washington Mystics The Entertainment and Sports Arena
6:00 PM Indiana Fever Chicago Sky Wintrust Arena
6:00 PM Minnesota Lynx Las Vegas Aces Mandalay Bay Events Center


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WNBA JULY'S OPINIONS AND BEST BETS: ALL BASED ON 5 UNITS

DATE W-L-T % UNITS RECORD


07/18/2019 0-2-0 0.00% -11.00
07/17/2019 3-1-0 75.00% +9.50
07/07/2019 3-5-0 37.50% -12.50
07/06/2019 1-1-0 50.00% -0.50
07/05/2019 6-2-0 75.00% +19.00
07/03/2019 1-1-0 50.00% -0.50
07/02/2019 3-1-0 75.00% +9.50


Totals............17-13-0 ......56.66% ....+13.50


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BEST BETS:

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


07/18/2019.............0 - 1....................-5.50..................0 - 1..................-5.50................-11.00
07/17/2019.............1 - 1....................-0.50..................2 - 0.................+10.00.............+9.50
07/07/2019.............2 - 2....................-1.00..................1 - 3.................-11.50...............-12.50
07/06/2019.............0 - 1....................-5.50..................1 - 0.................+5.00...............-0.50
07/05/2019.............3 - 1....................+9.50.................2 - 1.................+4.50...............+14.00
07/03/2019.............1 - 0....................+5.00.................0 - 1..................-5.50................-0.50
07/02/2019.............2 - 0....................+10.00...............1 - 1..................-0.50................+9.50


Totals.....................9 - 6....................+12.00...............7 - 7..................-3.50...............+8.50

[StarDust Bum]

Friday’s 6-pack

Some more Week 1 NFL spreads:

— Chiefs (-3.5, 51.5) @ Jaguars

— Titans @ Browns (-5.5, 45.5)

— Rams (-3, 51) @ Panthers

— Lions (-2, 48.5) @ Cardinals

— Bengals @ Seahawks (-8, 43.5)

— Colts @ Chargers (-3, 48)

Quote of the Day
“You go from being a pro player to making $400 a month and you’re 20th on the totem pole, and you really have to do whatever you have to do and whatever they ask you to do.”
Kliff Kingsbury, on his first job in football, an offensive quality control coach

Friday’s quiz
Which four college football teams did Urban Meyer coach?

Thursday’s quiz
Luis Gonzalez has hit the most home runs in the history of the Arizona Diamondbacks, 224.

Wednesday’s quiz
In the history of the OAKLAND A’s (not Philly or KC), Mark McGwire hit the most home runs, with 363.


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Friday’s List of 13: Random stuff with the weekend here…….

13) Extreme heat is forecast for the Albany/Saratoga area Saturday; NYRA has cancelled racing for Saturday at Saratoga, which is a wise but expensive decision to make.

12) Can you be considered one of the all-time great quarterbacks if you never won a Super Bowl? Dan Marino never won a Super Bowl, Dan Fouts never played in one, but their greatness was obvious. Its an interesting debate when you weigh who the all-time greats were.

11) I still think John Elway is the best QB ever; who do you think is the best ever?


10) Mookie Betts is the first Boston Red Sox player since Ted Williams in 1946 to score a run in 13 consecutive games.

9) Cincinnati Reds have homered 28 times in first inning this year, the most in MLB.

8) It still boggles my mind that the Cleveland Browns are favored to win the AFC North when they’ve been favored in only four of their 48 games the last three years.

7) Baseball stuff:
— Marlins put SS JT Riddle (forearm) on IL.
— Reds put C Curt Casali (knee), P David Rodriguez (shoulder) on the IL.
— Braves activated OF Ender Inciarte from the IL.
— Angels put C Jonathan Lucroy (broken nose) on IL.

6) Oddsmaking legend Jimmy Vaccaro is returning to Las Vegas to work at the SouthPoint Casino; he had been working at Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh.

5) Our prayers go out to UNLV offensive coordinator Barney Cotton, who needs a heart transplant and is stepping aside from his job with the Rebels.

4) Nationals 13, Braves 4— Stephen Strasburg had three hits, five RBI and allowed three runs in 5.1 IP as Washington closed within 5.5 games of Atlanta in the NL East.

3) Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard have been teammates for five years; they’ve started consecutive games 58 times.

Only nine of those 58 times did both deGrom/Syndergaard get wins.

2) In a fitting bit of symmetry, five guys were arrested Thursday for fighting at a Five Guys restaurant in Stuart, FL. Two adults, three juveniles were taken into custody; no report if they got their burgers to go or not.

1) My all-time basketball starting five: Kareem, Jordan, Bill Russell, Lebron and Magic.

[StarDust Bum]

WNBA
Long Sheet

Friday, July 18

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WASHINGTON (9 - 6) at INDIANA (6 - 12) - 7/19/2019, 7:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
WASHINGTON is 5-2 against the spread versus INDIANA over the last 3 seasons
WASHINGTON is 7-0 straight up against INDIANA over the last 3 seasons
4 of 7 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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ATLANTA (5 - 12) at CONNECTICUT (11 - 6) - 7/19/2019, 7:30 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
ATLANTA is 7-2 against the spread versus CONNECTICUT over the last 3 seasons
ATLANTA is 5-4 straight up against CONNECTICUT 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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LAS VEGAS (11 - 5) at SEATTLE (11 - 8) - 7/19/2019, 10:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
SEATTLE is 5-3 against the spread versus LAS VEGAS over the last 3 seasons
SEATTLE is 5-3 straight up against LAS VEGAS over the last 3 seasons
5 of 8 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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WNBA

Friday, July 18

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trend Report
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Washington Mystics
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Washington's last 7 games
Washington is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
Washington is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Washington is 8-3 ATS in its last 11 games when playing Indiana
Washington is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Indiana
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Washington's last 5 games when playing Indiana
Washington is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Indiana
Washington is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Indiana
Indiana Fever
Indiana is 1-7 SU in its last 8 games
Indiana is 1-6 ATS in its last 7 games at home
Indiana is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games at home
Indiana is 3-8 ATS in its last 11 games when playing Washington
Indiana is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing Washington
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Indiana's last 5 games when playing Washington
Indiana is 2-8-1 ATS in its last 11 games when playing at home against Washington
Indiana is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Washington

Atlanta Dream
Atlanta is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games
Atlanta is 4-12 SU in its last 16 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Atlanta's last 6 games
Atlanta is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
Atlanta is 1-7 SU in its last 8 games on the road
Atlanta is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Connecticut
Atlanta is 12-4 SU in its last 16 games when playing Connecticut
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Atlanta's last 6 games when playing Connecticut
Atlanta is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Connecticut
Atlanta is 5-10 ATS in its last 15 games when playing on the road against Connecticut
Atlanta is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Connecticut
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Atlanta's last 6 games when playing on the road against Connecticut
Connecticut Sun
Connecticut is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games
Connecticut is 15-7 SU in its last 22 games
Connecticut is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Connecticut's last 6 games
Connecticut is 6-2 ATS in its last 8 games at home
Connecticut is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Connecticut's last 5 games at home
Connecticut is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Atlanta
Connecticut is 4-12 SU in its last 16 games when playing Atlanta
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Connecticut's last 6 games when playing Atlanta
Connecticut is 10-5 ATS in its last 15 games when playing at home against Atlanta
Connecticut is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against Atlanta
Connecticut is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against Atlanta
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Connecticut's last 6 games when playing at home against Atlanta

Las Vegas Aces
Las Vegas is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games
Las Vegas is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Las Vegas's last 6 games
Las Vegas is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
Las Vegas is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Las Vegas's last 7 games on the road
Las Vegas is 3-7 ATS in its last 10 games when playing Seattle
Las Vegas is 3-7 SU in its last 10 games when playing Seattle
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Las Vegas's last 6 games when playing Seattle
Las Vegas is 5-14 ATS in its last 19 games when playing on the road against Seattle
Las Vegas is 4-18 SU in its last 22 games when playing on the road against Seattle
Seattle Storm
Seattle is 15-8 SU in its last 23 games
The total has gone UNDER in 13 of Seattle's last 19 games
Seattle is 2-4-1 ATS in its last 7 games at home
Seattle is 16-3 SU in its last 19 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Seattle's last 12 games at home
Seattle is 7-3 ATS in its last 10 games when playing Las Vegas
Seattle is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games when playing Las Vegas
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Seattle's last 6 games when playing Las Vegas
Seattle is 14-5 ATS in its last 19 games when playing at home against Las Vegas
Seattle is 18-4 SU in its last 22 games when playing at home against Las Vegas


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WNBA
Dunkel

Friday, July 18


Washington @ Indiana

Game 631-632
July 19, 2019 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Washington
112.983
Indiana
106.964
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Washington
by 6
153
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Washington
by 8
160
Dunkel Pick:
Indiana
(+8); Under

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Mystics (9-6) at Fever (6-12)
Date: July 19, 2019 7:00 PM EDT

The Washington Mystics continue to play hard even amid their roughest stretch of the season.

That likely won't change when the visiting Mystics try to prevent their season-high skid from reaching four games Friday night against an Indiana Fever team that's in danger of matching the single-season club record for consecutive home defeats.

Washington (9-6) was feeling good amid a five-game winning streak that appeared to be headed for six before its visit to Las Vegas on July 5 was postponed at halftime because of an earthquake in Southern California that was felt in Nevada. The Mystics were ahead in that contest, but have followed with three straight defeats.

That included losing star Elena Delle Donne to a broken nose at Los Angeles on July 7. Washington, 0-4 without Delle Donne on the floor in 2019, has allowed an average of 91.3 points during the three-game losing streak.

The Mystics led by as many as 15 in the first quarter of Saturday's rematch with Vegas at home, but the Aces came back with a 27-point second quarter and handed the hosts an 85-81 loss. Washington shot just 38.9 percent and went 7 of 28 from 3-point range, but the effort never waned.

"For us, it's just challenging ourselves to be better," guard Natasha Cloud, who had a team-high 18 points, said as posted on the Mystics' official Facebook page. "Mistakes are inevitable, we're never going to be perfect in this game. But, I'll take how hard we played any day."

As Washington looks to avoid losing four in a row for the first time since 2016, it still awaits the return of Delle Donne. A picture of the All-Star forward sporting a protective mask, apparently at practice, was posted on the Mystics' official Facebook page this week. Whether that means she'll be available Friday is unknown.

Regardless who is on the court for the Mystics, they should feel good about their chances against an Indiana team that's lost three in a row and won once in eight games. Kelsey Mitchell scored 14 points as the Fever (6-12) missed all 16 of their 3-point attempts in a 76-63 loss to Connecticut on Sunday.

It was the seventh consecutive home defeat for Indiana, which last won there against Dallas on June 7. The Fever dropped a franchise-worst eight straight at home in 2000.

"We're a really good mid-range shooting team," coach Pokey Chatman told the Fever's official website. "We have to stay true to who we are, and get those comfort 3s and not contested 3s."

Indiana veteran Candice Dupree had 11 points last weekend to pass Lisa Leslie for sixth on the WNBA career scoring list.

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WNBA HEAD TO HEAD

Aug 15, 2018 Score ATS Results
WAS « 76 Cover: 3
IND 62 Under: 138
Tools: Recaps

May 24, 2018 Score ATS Results
WAS « 93 Cover: 4
IND 84 Over: 177
Tools: Recaps

May 20, 2018 Score ATS Results
IND 75 Cover: 5.5
WAS « 82 Over: 157
Tools: Recaps

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Dream (5-12) at Sun (11-6)
Date: July 19, 2019 7:30 PM EDT

With their inside-out game back on track, the Connecticut Sun seek a third straight victory Friday night when they face the Atlanta Dream to kick off a four-game homestand.

Connecticut has the best record in the WNBA at 11-6, and any lingering effects from a five-game losing streak appear to have dissipated after posting back-to-back victories. All-Star Jonquel Jones had a season-high 26 points and eight rebounds while Shekinna Stricklen added all 12 of her points via four 3-pointers to help the Sun cruise to a 76-63 win at Indiana on Sunday.

Jones, who was named WNBA Player of the Week for the fourth time this season Monday, has totaled 39 points and 19 rebounds in the two wins after being held to averages of 11.0 points and 8.4 rebounds during the Sun's five-game skid. The Sun also improved to 8-0 when Stricklen hits at least three treys in a game, and the guard is shooting 40 percent (42 for 105) from beyond the arc on the season.

"We got into the paint in the first half and I think that it opened it up for us in the second half and allowed us to use our legs and make nine 3s in the second half because we were so successful getting into the paint," Sun coach Curt Miller said to the team's official Twitter account. "That's not easy to do - three games in five days to make nine 3s on the road in the second half."

Alyssa Thomas found out she will be joining Jones at the WNBA All-Star game later this month in Las Vegas after the league tabbed her as one of the 12 reserves Monday. The teams will be drafted Tuesday by captains Elena Delle Donne of the Mystics and A'ja Wilson of the Aces.

Atlanta (5-12) is on the second leg of a three-game road swing after a tough 77-76 defeat at Chicago on Wednesday. Renee Montgomery hit six 3-pointers and scored 23 points while Jessica Breland added 10 and 11 rebounds, but the Dream's issues of closing teams out persisted as they squandered an eight-point fourth-quarter lead and were held to six points over the final 6:11.

Despite being last in the league in scoring at 70.2 points per game, the Dream have cleared 70 in three of their last four games - a run that began with a 78-75 victory over the Sun on July 10 when Tiffany Hayes scored 18 points and Breland pulled down a season-best 13 boards.

Atlanta, though, is still last in the league in overall shooting percentage (36.7) and 3-point shooting (28.3). Montgomery is three 3-pointers shy of becoming just the 13th player in WNBA history to hit 500.

The Sun won the first two meetings between the teams this season, including an 86-76 victory at Mohegan Sun on June 21 as Stricklen buried seven 3-pointers and finished with 24 points. Connecticut has won 14 of its last 15 home games dating back to last year.

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WNBA HEAD TO HEAD

Jul 10, 2019 Score ATS Results
CONN 75 Over: 153
ATL « 78 Cover: 9
Tools: Recaps

Jun 21, 2019 Score ATS Results
ATL 76 Cover: 2.5
CONN « 86 Over: 162
Tools: Recaps

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]

FRIDAY, JULY 19
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

WAS at IND 07:00 PM
IND +8.0
U 161.0

ATL at CONN 07:30 PM
CONN -8.5
U 150.0

LV at SEA 10:00 PM
LV -2.5
O 156.0

[StarDust Bum]

Elena Delle Donne returns, Mystics outlast Fever in OT
July 19, 2019
By The Associated Press

SEATTLE (AP) Natasha Howard had 21 points, 10 rebounds, six blocks and four steals and the Seattle Storm beat the Las Vegas Aces 69-66 on Friday night for their fourth straight victory.

Howard is playing amid her wife's social media allegations of physically threatening and abusive behavior. No charges have been filed against Howard.

Howard filed for divorce Monday and said in a statement provided by her lawyer Tuesday night that she's prepared to cooperate with the Storm's investigation as well as that of the WNBA.

The Aces (11-6) had their five-game winning streak end despite holding the defending champion Storm (12-8) to a season-low 28% shooting and no field goals over the final seven minutes. What the Storm did do is grab a franchise record 18 steals, the second most in the league this season. Jordin Canada, the league leader, had five.

Liz Cambage had 16 points, 14 rebounds and four blocks for the Aces. They finished with 21 turnovers.

Jewell Loyd returned to the Storm after missing seven games with an ankle injury. She did not score in 8 1/2 minutes. The Aces lost Aja Wilson with a left leg injury midway through the third quarter.

MYSTICS 95, FEVER 88

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Elena Delle Donne scored 28 points, Kristi Toliver had six of her 17 in overtime and Washington beat Indiana.

Both teams entered the game with three-game losing streaks, with the Mystics playing those three games without Delle Donne because of a broken nose.

Wearing a protective facemask and special edition ''The Lion King'' shoes, Delle Donne went 10 of 22 from the field, going 3 of 5 from 3-point range, and grabbed 15 rebounds. Her step-back 12-footer from the left baseline tied it at 81 with 5.8 seconds left in regulation. Thanks to Toliver's defense, Indiana did not get off a final shot.

Emma Meesseman added 13 points for Washington (10-6).

Erica Wheeler led Indiana (6-13) with 18 points. The Fever lost their eighth straight home game, tying a franchise record from 2000.

SUN 98, DREAM 69

UNCASVILLE, Conn. (AP) - Bria Holmes scored 17 points and Connecticut routed Atlanta for its third straight victory.

Jasmine Thomas added 14 points, Jonquel Jones has 12, Alyssa Thomas 11 and Morgan Tuck 10. The Eastern Conference-leading Sun (12-6) were 11 of 26 from 3-point range and shot 49% overall to win for the 15th time in their last 16 home games.

Brittney Sykes scored 26 points for the last-place Dream (5-13).

[StarDust Bum]

SCHEDULE FOR SATURDAY JULY 20, 2019
Time (ET) Away Home Site
3:00 PM Los Angeles Sparks New York Liberty Westchester County Center
8:00 PM Phoenix Mercury Dallas Wings College Park Center


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WNBA JULY'S OPINIONS AND BEST BETS: ALL BASED ON 5 UNITS

DATE W-L-T % UNITS RECORD

07/19/2019 2-4-0 33.33% -12.00
07/18/2019 0-2-0 0.00% -11.00
07/17/2019 3-1-0 75.00% +9.50
07/07/2019 3-5-0 37.50% -12.50
07/06/2019 1-1-0 50.00% -0.50
07/05/2019 6-2-0 75.00% +19.00
07/03/2019 1-1-0 50.00% -0.50
07/02/2019 3-1-0 75.00% +9.50


Totals............19-17-0 ......52.77% ....+1.50


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BEST BETS:

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

07/19/2019.............2 - 1...................+4.50..................0 - 3.................-16.50...............-12.00
07/18/2019.............0 - 1....................-5.50..................0 - 1..................-5.50................-11.00
07/17/2019.............1 - 1....................-0.50..................2 - 0.................+10.00.............+9.50
07/07/2019.............2 - 2....................-1.00..................1 - 3.................-11.50...............-12.50
07/06/2019.............0 - 1....................-5.50..................1 - 0.................+5.00...............-0.50
07/05/2019.............3 - 1....................+9.50.................2 - 1.................+4.50...............+14.00
07/03/2019.............1 - 0....................+5.00.................0 - 1..................-5.50................-0.50
07/02/2019.............2 - 0....................+10.00...............1 - 1..................-0.50................+9.50


Totals....................11 - 7....................+16.50...............7 - 10................-20.00...............-3.50

[StarDust Bum]

Saturday’s 6-pack

Updated odds for the British Open:

5-1— Brooks Koepka

11-2— Tommy Fleetwood

7-1— Justin Rose

8-1— Shane Lowry

14-1— Rahm, Spieth, Westwood

16-1— JB Holmes

Quote of the Day
“Anybody from any corner of the world can come to America to live and become an American. We draw our people, our strength, from every country and every corner of the world.”
Ronald Reagan

Saturday’s quiz
Which NFL team did Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh play most of his career for?

Friday’s quiz
Urban Meyer coached Bowling Green, Utah, Florida, Ohio State.

Thursday’s quiz
Luis Gonzalez has hit the most home runs in the history of the Arizona Diamondbacks, 224.


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Saturday’s List of 13: College football knowledge…..

13) College football teams with all five starters back on the offensive line:

Auburn, Ball State, Boise St, Hawai’i, Iowa St.
Michigan St, Oregon, Southern Miss, Texas St
UL-Lafayette, UL-Monroe, Western Kentucky

12) Over last five years, Utah is 11-2 vs spread as a road underdog; Whittingham is 11-2 SU in bowl games.

11) Last two years, USC is 2-9 vs spread a a home favorite; since 2012, they’re 1-9 vs spread in neutral field games.

10) Cincinnati allowed 35.8 ppg in their last five bowl games (2-3 SU); once 2014, Bearcats are 8-15 vs spread in non-conference games.

9) Central Florida is 25-1 SU the last two years, with a +31 turnover margin; they’re 12-6-1 vs spread in last 19 games as a home favorite.

8) Last four years, South Florida has a +28 turnover ratio; under Charlie Strong, Bulls are 5-12 vs spread as a home favorite.

7) Since 2015, Temple is 25-8-1 vs spread in conference games; they’re 13-3 vs spread in last 16 games coming off a loss.

6) Marshall is 12-2 all-time in bowl games, 5-0 since 2013; since 2016, Thundering Herd is 4-9 vs spread as a home favorite.

5) Under Butch Davis, FIU is 2-6 vs spread as a home favorite, 6-0 as a home underdog.

4) Last three years, Middle Tennessee State is 11-4 vs spread coming off a loss.

3) Western Kentucky has its fifth head coach in eight years; last two years, Hilltoppers are 0-5 vs spread as a road favorite.

2) From 2012-16, Southern Mississippi had a minus-63 turnover margin in 62 games; last two years, Golden Eagles were minus-2, and went 8-5/6-5.

1) Since bringing their program back two years ago, UAB is 10-1-1 vs spread at home.