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

[StarDust Bum]

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 1
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

PHO at CHI 06:00 PM
CHI -3.5
O 169.0

IND at MIN 07:00 PM
MIN -9.5
O 157.0

ATL at SEA 07:00 PM
SEA -8.5
U 148.5

[StarDust Bum]

Lynx beat Fever behind strong effort from Collier
September 1, 2019
By The Associated Press

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) Odyssey Sims scored 17 points, Napheesa Collier had 15 points and 10 rebounds to move into elite company and the Minnesota Lynx defeated the Indiana Fever 81-73 on Sunday, a key win for playoff positioning.

Collier surpassed 400 points and 200 rebounds to join former Indiana star Tamika Catchings as the only rookies to surpass the 400/200 barrier plus have 60 steals. That helped the Lynx (17-15) stay a half-game in front of Seattle for the home court advantage if the two teams meet in the No. 6-No. 7 matchup in the playoffs.

Minnesota only shot 44% to 51% for Indiana, but took advantage of 19 turnovers by the Fever and had 13 offensive rebounds. Indiana only shot 35 percent and the Lynx hit all four of their 3-pointers in the fourth quarter.

Sylvia Fowles had 10 points and five rebounds for the Lynx and is four boards behind Catchings for No. 2 in WNBA history. Fowles passed Lauren Jackson for 10th on the WNBA all-time field goal list.

Candice Dupree had 18 points and Tiffany Mitchell 14 for the Fever (11-20). Rookie Teaira McCowan had 12 points and 11 rebounds, extending her double-double streak to four games and surpassing Catchings' Indiana rookie record of 276. She now has 283, the second-best rebounding season in Indiana history and No. 7 all-time among WNBA rookies. With 20 rebounds in the last two games she would tie the Indiana record.

SKY 105, MERCURY 78

CHICAGO (AP) - Cheyenne Parker and Astou Ndour scored 18 points apiece to lead six Chicago players scoring in double figures and the Sky beat the Mercury.

Diamond DeShields added 15 points, Allie Quigley had 12, Kahleah Copper 11 points and Stephanie Dolson 10 for Chicago. Courtney Vandersloot had nine points and 13 assists - extending her WNBA single-season record to 283. She also didn't turn the ball over. She has 11 double-digit assist games this season giving her 44 in her career, tied with Seattle's Sue Bird for second most in WNBA history.

Vandersloot hit two free throws to give the Sky (19-13) the lead for good and make it 54-53 at halftime before Ndour and Parker each hit a pair of 3-pointers during a 20-4 run to open the third quarter

Brittney Griner had 26 points and nine rebounds and DeWanna Bonner finished with 12 points and 12 boards for Phoenix (15-16). The Mercury were outscored 51-25 after halftime, setting their season low for points in a second half.

STORM 92, DREAM 75

SEATTLE (AP) - Jordin Canada had a career-high 21 points, eight assists and five steals and the Storm held on for a win over the Dream.

Alysha Clark had 16 points and eight rebounds, Natasha Howard added 14 points, eight boards and two blocks and Jewell Loyd scored 11 points for Seattle.

Five different Storm players scored during a 14-2 run that gave Seattle a 14-point lead when Crystal Langhorne converted a 3-point play late in the first quarter. After Renee Montgomery hit a 3 to cut the Dream's deficit to 14-12, they made just one of their next five shots and committed four turnovers during Seattle's spurt.

Atlanta's Monique Billings banked in a short jumper and then hit a 3-pointer to spark a 16-6 run that made it 77-73 with 4:29 left in the game. Alex Bentley hit a pull-up jumper and then made back-to-back 3-pointers to cap the spurt but the Dream went 0 for 4 from the field and 2 for 4 from the free-throw line and committed four turnovers as Seattle (16-15) scored 15 of the final 17 points.

Billings and Montgomery had 15 points apiece and Bentley scored 14 for Atlanta (7-24).

[StarDust Bum]

SCHEDULE FOR TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 3, 2019
Time (ET) Away Home Site
7:00 PM Washington Mystics New York Liberty Westchester County Center
10:00 PM Seattle Storm Phoenix Mercury Talking Stick Resort Arena
10:30 PM Atlanta Dream Los Angeles Sparks Staples Center


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WNBA SEPT. OPINIONS AND BEST BETS: ALL BASED ON 5 UNITS

DATE W-L-T % UNITS RECORD


09/01/2019 3-3-0 50.00% -150


Totals...............3-3-0 50.00% -1.50


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BEST BETS:

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


09/01/2019.............2 - 1 ...............+4.50...............1 - 2..............-6.00.............-1.50


Totals.....................2 - 1 ...............+4.50...............1 - 2..............-6.00.............-1.50

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo: Tuesday's six-pack

Interesting college football spreads for this week:

— Nebraska (-4.5) @ Colorado

— Texas A&M @ Clemson (-17.5)

— San Diego State @ UCLA (-7)

— BYU @ Tennessee (-3.5)

— LSU (-5) @ Texas

— Miami (-6) @ North Carolina


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Armadillo:Tuesday's List of 13: Nobody asked me, but……

13) Bad weekend to be a USC quarterback:

We said yesterday how USC Trojans QB JT Daniels tore his ACL and is done for the year. He will be replaced by true freshman Kedon Slovis.

South Carolina Gamecocks QB Jake Bentley broke his foot and is out for six weeks; his replacement will be true freshman Ryan Hilinski.

12) Slovis, Hilinski starting means that seven true freshmen are now starting QB’s out of 130 I-A football teams.

11) Indianapolis Colts gave QB Jacoby Brissett $30M for two years, and then signed Brian Hoyer as his backup, giving him $12M for three years.

10) In his last three years at UCLA, Dolphins’ QB Josh Rosen had three different offensive coordinators; last year, he had two OC’s in his one year with the Cardinals, and obviously has a new OC in Miami this year. Plus the Dolphins just traded their LT, which endangers the health of whomever plays QB for Miami this year.

Not a great start to Rosen’s career.

9) Early nominee for Bad Beat of the Year was Northwestern (+6.5) at Stanford. Game was 10-7 Stanford in the last minute when the Cardinal sacked Northwestern’s QB, he fumbled and they scored a defensive TD to cover the spread with 0:20 left to play.

8) Jets’ radio guy Bob Wischusen was working a college game on ESPN Saturday and was saying how he thinks Jim Brown and Lawrence Taylor were the two best football players ever.

Jim Brown played before my time, so I can’t comment on him; LT was a great linebacker whose pass rushing skills helped change the game, but if he did the same exact thing playing for the Chiefs or Bengals, instead of a NYC-area team, he’s not in the best player ever conversation.

7) In five starts from April 15-May 9, Cubs’ P Yu Darvish walked 22 batters in 22.2 IP.

In 14 starts since June 15, Darvish has walked 8 hitters, while striking out 102 in 80 IP.

6) Jacksonville Jaguars won’t practice Wednesday because of Hurricane Dorian.

5) Alabama is a 54-point favorite over New Mexico State Saturday; the total is 65; Crimson Tide opens SEC play next week when they play South Carolina, so the starter figure to get a good chunk of this game off. Then again, New Mexico State just lost 58-7 at Washington State, so probably a good game to stay away from.

4) Ryan Fitzpatrick will be the 20th QB to start for the Dolphins since Dan Marino retired.

3) Final AAA Home Run Totals:
2018 – 3,652
2019 – 5,749 (57.4% increase)

AAA games switched to major league baseballs this year.

2) Sports betting became legal in Indiana Sunday; governor of Indiana made a $10 wager on the Colts to open things up. Probably would’ve bet more if Andrew Luck hadn’t retired.

Wouldn’t it be fun if just once, a politician stepped out and dropped $1,000 on the home team with his ceremonial first bet? Have some onions, Governor!!!

1) Labor Day night and only two baseball games are on, with 8:00 the latest start time. Whats up with that?

[StarDust Bum]

WNBA Betting Recap - 8/27-9/2
Joe Williams

League Betting Notes (Tuesday, Aug. 27 through Monday, Sept. 2)

-- Favorites went 11-3 straight up (SU)
-- Favorites went 7-6-1 against the spread (ATS)
-- Home/road teams went 7-7 SU
-- Home teams went 8-5-1 ATS
-- The 'over' went 10-4

Season Totals To Date

-- Favorites are 124-64 straight up (SU)
-- Underdogs 96-85-7 against the spread (ATS)
-- Home teams are 115-73 SU
-- Home teams are 92-90-6 ATS
-- The 'over' is 95-91-2

Team Betting Notes

Atlanta (7-24 SU, 14-17 ATS) continues to limp to the finish line, dropping each of their two contests in the previous week while failing to cover in each. The over has connected in four of the past five outings heading into the final week.

Chicago (19-13 SU, 20-11-1 ATS) had a rough week, going 1-2 SU/ATS, although their 105-78 whitewashing of the Mercury is a feel-good moment heading into the new week. The over cashed for the fourth straight game in that one, and the over is 12-1 across the past 13 outings, too.

Connecticut (22-9 SU, 13-17-1 ATS) managed a pair of victories to keep pace with the Mystics in the East Division, sitting just one game back. The Sun have won six of the past seven overall, and they're 3-1-1 ATS across the past five outings.

Dallas (10-21 SU, 16-15 ATS) split a pair of battles in the past week, while covering each. They're a respectable 5-3 ATS across the past eight outings. The 'over' has connected in four in a row, while going 7-1 across the past eight outings, too.

Indiana (11-21 SU, 15-16-1 ATS) dropped each of their past two outings, but they continue to play hard down the stretch. The Fever have ratllted off a season-best four covers in a row, while the 'under' is 3-1 during the impressive span. The over is also 3-1-1 in their past five outings at home.

After splitting a pair of games in the past week, Las Vegas (20-12 SU, 12-20 ATS) was able to join the Mystics and Sun in the 20-win club. The Aces had a rare under result at Indian on Aug. 27, but the over is 8-1 across the past nine contests for the first-place Aces.

Los Angeles (19-12 SU, 15-15-1 ATS) have been hard to figure lately. They covered four in a row from July 23-Aug. 8, went 0-3 ATS from Aug. 11-16, covered three in a row from Aug. 20-25, and now they're in an 0-3 ATS skid again heading into the new week.

Minnesota (17-15 SU, 17-14-1 ATS) have won a season-high four games in a row, covering three of them while the 'over' has cashed in three of those outings. The over is also 9-3 across the past 12 contests, too.

New York (9-22 SU, 10-19-2 ATS) have dropped four in a row, and 12 of the past 13 games while going 1-10-1 ATS across the past 12. They have failed to cover in consecutive games dating all the way back to July 20-24. The 'over' has cashed in four in a row, and the over is 8-2-1 across the past 11.

Phoenix (15-16 SU, 17-13-1 ATS) clinched a playoff spot, going 2-1 SU/ATS in their three-game week. The Mercury are an impressive 6-2 ATS across the past eight outings. The 'over' has connected in four of the past five, too.

Seattle (16-15 SU, 16-14-1 ATS) stayed one game ahead of the Mercury, bouncing back with a 17-point win over the Dream after dropping two in a row at home. The Storm had posted a solid 5-3 ATS mark across the past eight, and the 'over' is 4-1 in the past five outings.

Washington (23-8 SU, 18-12-1 ATS) haven't lost back-to-back games since a three-game losing skid back from July 7-13. They're 13-2 SU across the past 15 games since that three-game slide, and they're 6-2 ATS in the past eight outings. The over is also 9-3 in their past 12 games, too.

[StarDust Bum]

WNBA

Tuesday, September 3

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Trend Report
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New York Liberty
New York is 1-10-1 ATS in its last 12 games
New York is 1-12 SU in its last 13 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of New York's last 5 games
New York is 0-4-1 ATS in its last 5 games at home
New York is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 6 of New York's last 7 games at home
New York is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Washington
New York is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing Washington
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of New York's last 10 games when playing Washington
New York is 3-7 ATS in its last 10 games when playing at home against Washington
New York is 3-7 SU in its last 10 games when playing at home against Washington
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of New York's last 6 games when playing at home against Washington
Washington Mystics
Washington is 6-2 ATS in its last 8 games
Washington is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games
The total has gone OVER in 9 of Washington's last 12 games
Washington is 9-3 SU in its last 12 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Washington's last 5 games on the road
Washington is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games when playing New York
Washington is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing New York
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Washington's last 10 games when playing New York
Washington is 7-3 ATS in its last 10 games when playing on the road against New York
Washington is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games when playing on the road against New York
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Washington's last 6 games when playing on the road against New York

Phoenix Mercury
Phoenix is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Phoenix's last 5 games
Phoenix is 16-5 SU in its last 21 games at home
Phoenix is 3-6 SU in its last 9 games when playing Seattle
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Phoenix's last 5 games when playing Seattle
Phoenix is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against Seattle
Phoenix is 9-4 SU in its last 13 games when playing at home against Seattle
Seattle Storm
Seattle is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Seattle's last 5 games
Seattle is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 13 of Seattle's last 18 games on the road
Seattle is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games when playing Phoenix
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Seattle's last 5 games when playing Phoenix
Seattle is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Phoenix
Seattle is 4-9 SU in its last 13 games when playing on the road against Phoenix

Los Angeles Sparks
Los Angeles is 3-6 ATS in its last 9 games
Los Angeles is 15-6 SU in its last 21 games
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Los Angeles's last 11 games
Los Angeles is 6-1 ATS in its last 7 games at home
Los Angeles is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Los Angeles's last 6 games at home
Los Angeles is 4-11-2 ATS in its last 17 games when playing Atlanta
Los Angeles is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing Atlanta
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Los Angeles's last 5 games when playing Atlanta
Los Angeles is 1-5-2 ATS in its last 8 games when playing at home against Atlanta
Los Angeles is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games when playing at home against Atlanta
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Los Angeles's last 10 games when playing at home against Atlanta
Atlanta Dream
Atlanta is 2-14 SU in its last 16 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Atlanta's last 5 games
Atlanta is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games on the road
Atlanta is 3-14 SU in its last 17 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Atlanta's last 6 games on the road
Atlanta is 14-5-2 ATS in its last 21 games when playing Los Angeles
Atlanta is 2-4-1 ATS in its last 7 games when playing Los Angeles
Atlanta is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games when playing Los Angeles
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Atlanta's last 5 games when playing Los Angeles
Atlanta is 9-2-2 ATS in its last 13 games when playing on the road against Los Angeles
Atlanta is 3-6 SU in its last 9 games when playing on the road against Los Angeles
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Atlanta's last 10 games when playing on the road against Los Angeles


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WNBA
Long Sheet

Tuesday, September 3

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WASHINGTON (22 - 8) at NEW YORK (9 - 22) - 9/3/2019, 7:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
NEW YORK is 58-36 ATS (+18.4 Units) after 3 or more consecutive losses since 1997.
NEW YORK is 11-20 ATS (-11.0 Units) in all games this season.
NEW YORK is 2-10 ATS (-9.0 Units) in August or September games this season.
NEW YORK is 2-10 ATS (-9.0 Units) after a division game this season.
NEW YORK is 5-14 ATS (-10.4 Units) in home games revenging a loss versus opponent over the last 2 seasons.
NEW YORK is 9-17 ATS (-9.7 Units) after allowing 75 points or more this season.
NEW YORK is 2-8 ATS (-6.8 Units) after a loss by 10 points or more this season.
NEW YORK is 5-13 ATS (-9.3 Units) after scoring 75 points or more this season.
NEW YORK is 3-13 ATS (-11.3 Units) in home games versus poor defensive teams - allowing 77+ points/game over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
WASHINGTON is 5-4 against the spread versus NEW YORK over the last 3 seasons
WASHINGTON is 7-2 straight up against NEW YORK over the last 3 seasons
6 of 9 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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SEATTLE (16 - 15) at PHOENIX (15 - 16) - 9/3/2019, 10:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
PHOENIX is 41-28 ATS (+10.2 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
PHOENIX is 17-7 ATS (+9.3 Units) in August or September games over the last 2 seasons.
PHOENIX is 23-13 ATS (+8.7 Units) after a non-conference game over the last 2 seasons.
PHOENIX is 30-17 ATS (+11.3 Units) after scoring 75 points or more over the last 2 seasons.
SEATTLE is 24-12 ATS (+10.8 Units) after a non-conference game over the last 2 seasons.
SEATTLE is 17-8 ATS (+8.2 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent over the last 2 seasons.
SEATTLE is 28-14 ATS (+12.6 Units) after allowing 75 points or more over the last 2 seasons.
SEATTLE is 10-2 ATS (+7.8 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record after 15+ games after 15+ games over the last 2 seasons.
PHOENIX is 6-15 ATS (-10.5 Units) in home games after allowing 75 points or more over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
PHOENIX is 8-5 against the spread versus SEATTLE over the last 3 seasons
PHOENIX is 7-7 straight up against SEATTLE over the last 3 seasons
7 of 14 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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ATLANTA (7 - 24) at LOS ANGELES (19 - 12) - 9/3/2019, 10:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
LOS ANGELES is 33-20 ATS (+11.0 Units) in home games over the last 3 seasons.
LOS ANGELES is 16-3 ATS (+12.7 Units) in home games in August or September games over the last 3 seasons.
ATLANTA is 21-8 ATS (+12.2 Units) in road games on Tuesday since 1997.
ATLANTA is 23-10 ATS (+12.0 Units) after a non-conference game over the last 2 seasons.
ATLANTA is 24-13 ATS (+9.7 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent over the last 2 seasons.
ATLANTA is 28-16 ATS (+10.4 Units) after allowing 75 points or more over the last 2 seasons.
ATLANTA is 15-6 ATS (+8.4 Units) in road games after scoring 75 points or more over the last 2 seasons.
ATLANTA is 24-12 ATS (+10.8 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
ATLANTA is 22-10 ATS (+11.0 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 77+ points/game after 15+ games over the last 2 seasons.
ATLANTA is 21-11 ATS (+8.9 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 77+ points/game after 15+ games over the last 2 seasons.
ATLANTA is 30-19 ATS (+9.1 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 77+ points/game over the last 2 seasons.
LOS ANGELES is 6-20 ATS (-16.0 Units) as a home favorite of 12.5 to 15 points since 1997.
LOS ANGELES is 9-27 ATS (-20.7 Units) as a home favorite of 12.5 to 18 points since 1997.
LOS ANGELES is 10-27 ATS (-19.7 Units) as a home favorite of 12.5 or more points since 1997.
LOS ANGELES is 33-55 ATS (-27.5 Units) in home games on Tuesday since 1997.
LOS ANGELES is 153-196 ATS (-62.6 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record since 1997.
LOS ANGELES is 10-20 ATS (-12.0 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 77+ points/game after 15+ games over the last 2 seasons.
LOS ANGELES is 114-150 ATS (-51.0 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 77+ points/game since 1997.

Head-to-Head Series History
LOS ANGELES is 4-4 against the spread versus ATLANTA over the last 3 seasons
LOS ANGELES is 5-3 straight up against ATLANTA over the last 3 seasons
7 of 8 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons


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WNBA (WOMEN'S PROFESSIONAL)

DUNKEL'S HIGHLIGHTED GAME

Atlanta at Los Angeles - Tuesday September 3, 2019
The Atlanta Dream come into today’s contests with a Dunkel road rating of 102.009. Atlanta is 5-2 ATS in its last seven road games. The Los Angeles Sparks come in with a Dunkel home rating of 110.061. Los Angeles is 1-7 ATS in its last eight home games versus Atlanta. The Los Angeles Sparks come in with a Dunkel O/U home rating of 166.070. The Sparks have gone over in eight of their last 11 games overall. Dunkel’s Pick: Atlanta (+13; Over).

TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 3, 2019

Washington
@
New York
Game 647-648
September 3, 2019 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating: Washington
123.225
New York
100.528
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total: Washington
by 22 1/2
169
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total: Washington
by 15
172 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Washington
(-15); Under

Seattle
@
Phoenix
Game 649-650
September 3, 2019 @ 10:00 pm

Dunkel Rating: Seattle
103.617
Phoenix
116.147
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total: Phoenix
by 12 1/2
147
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total: Phoenix
by 5 1/2
151
Dunkel Pick: Phoenix
(-5 1/2); Under

Atlanta
@
Los Angeles
Game 651-652
September 3, 2019 @ 10:30 pm

Dunkel Rating: Atlanta
102.009
Los Angeles
110.061
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total: Los Angeles
by 8
166
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total: Los Angeles
by 13
157
Dunkel Pick: Atlanta
(+13); Over

[StarDust Bum]

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 3
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

WAS at NY 07:00 PM
NY +15.0
U 172.0

SEA at PHO 10:00 PM
PHO -6.0
O 151.5

ATL at LA 10:30 PM
ATL +13.0
O 157.0

[StarDust Bum]

Washington cruises to easy win over New York
September 4, 2019
By The Associated Press

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. (AP) Elena Delle Donne scored 25 of her 30 points in the first half and the Washington Mystics cruised to a 93-77 win over the New York Liberty on Tuesday night.

Ariel Atkins added 23 points for the Mystics (24-8), who have clinched a top-two seed for the playoffs and extended their lead over second place Connecticut to 1+ games. The season ends Sunday.

Washington raced to a 31-19 lead after one quarter and with Delle Donne scoring 17 points in the second quarter stretched the advantage to 58-40 at the break.

Delle Donne and LaToya Sanders both had 10 rebounds as the Mystics dominated the boards 42-23.

Marine Johannes led the Liberty (9-23), which has lost five straight and 13 of 14, with a career-high 22 points. The rookie from France had scored 21 points in her previous game.

The Mystics, who have won four straight, signed Tianna Hawkins, a former first-round pick, to a contract extension through the 2020 season, then rested her against the Liberty. Kristi Toliver missed her ninth straight game because of a knee injury that is expected to keep her out until the playoffs.

STORM 82, MERCURY 70

PHOENIX (AP) - Natasha Howard scored 11 of her 22 points in the first quarter and the Storm got off to a strong start en route to a win over the Mercury.

Seattle (17-15) moved into a tie with Minnesota for the sixth seed and holds the tiebreaker. The Mercury (15-17) will finish eighth. When the playoffs open next week, the fifth and sixth seeds have home games and the seventh and eighth seeds are on the road in the single-elimination first round.

The Storm shot 58% in the first quarter to 39% for the Mercury and steadily pulled away. It was 50-35 at halftime and the margin was 20 entering the fourth quarter.

Brittney Griner had 22 points for Phoenix.

Before the game the Storm announced Sue Bird, who had preseason knee surgery, would not play this season.

It was Women of Inspiration night in Phoenix with the Mercury players wearing custom shoes dedicated to the women who inspired them.

SPARKS 70, DREAM 60

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Candace Parker and Chiney Ogwumike each had double-doubles and Los Angeles overcame a slow start to beat the last-place Dream in a game that put the Sparks in position to earn a first-round bye in the playoffs.

Parker had 21 points and 11 rebounds, Ogwumike 17 and 10. Ogwumike started for her sister Nneka, who was out with an illness that sidelined her for the second half of the team's last game against Las Vegas.

After trailing by 11 after one quarter, the Sparks rallied in the second quarter, took the lead in the third and held off Atlanta to move a full game ahead of fifth-place Chicago with two games to play.

The Sparks (20-12) have won 12 straight at home, where they play their last two games. Los Angeles coach Derek Fisher became the ninth WNBA head coach to get to 20 wins in their first season. The record is 29 by the Sparks' Michael Cooper in 2000.

Atlanta shot 55% in the first quarter to 33% for the Sparks but a 7-0 run helped Los Angeles take a brief lead before the Dream took a 35-34 lead into the break. It was 51-45 for the Sparks after three quarters. The teams combined to go 7 of 40 from 3-point range.

Alex Bentley, who did not score in the second half, and Elizabeth Williams each had 15 points for Atlanta (7-25). The Dream are having their worst season since their inaugural season of 2008 (four wins).

[StarDust Bum]

SCHEDULE FOR WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 4, 2019
Time (ET) Away Home Site
7:00 PM Dallas Wings Connecticut Sun Mohegan Sun Arena


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WNBA SEPT. OPINIONS AND BEST BETS: ALL BASED ON 5 UNITS

DATE W-L-T % UNITS RECORD

09/03/2019 3-3-0 50.00% -1.50
09/01/2019 3-3-0 50.00% -1.50


Totals...............6-6-0 50.00% -3.00


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BEST BETS:

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

09/03/2019.............1 - 2................-6.00................2 - 1.............+4.50.............-1.50
09/01/2019.............2 - 1 ..............+4.50................1 - 2..............-6.00.............-1.50


Totals.....................3 - 3 ...............-1.50................3 - 3..............-1.50..............-3.00

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo: Wednesday's six-pack

Odds to make NFL playoffs this season:

— Arizona yes +$700, no -$1250

— Atlanta yes +$125, no -$152

— Baltimore yes +$150, no -$186

— You’re reading ***************.com

— Buffalo yes +$325, no -$435

— Carolina yes +$215, no -$275

— Cincinnati yes +$700, no -$1250


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

13) Someone posted what each starting QB is worth to their team’s power rating, courtesy of Betonline.ag :

Most value:
7.5 points: Aaron Rodgers
7 points: Mahomes, Wilson, Brady
6.5 points: Carson Wentz, Philip Rivers

Least value:
+1 point: Manning
0 points: Dalton, Fitzpatrick, Keenum
1 point: Allen, Carr, Flacco, Mariota, Murray

12) Nationals 11, Mets 10:
— deGrom vs Scherzer isn’t supposed to end 11-10.
— Mets led 5-4 after eight innings, then they scored five runs in top of 9th.
— Washington scored seven runs in bottom of 9th; Suzuki hit a walk-off homer.

11) Marlins 5, Pirates 4 (11)— Miami ends its 15-game road losing streak, the longest such losing streak since 2010. when the Pirates lost 17 consecutive road games.

10) Minnesota Twins set the all-time single season home run record this year, but they’re the only team this season that hasn’t hit two grand slams- they’ve only hit one.

9) Speaking of home runs, Jorge Soler hit his 39th homer this season Tuesday, setting the Kansas City Royals’ single season record.

8) Westgate’s football SuperContest pays the top 100 finishers, plus it pays $15,000 for the Week 4 leader, $15,000 for Week 8 leader and a $15,000 mini-contest for Weeks 15-17 (for the 2,907 early-bird entrants). Over 3,000 entrants are expected to be in the SuperContest this year.

It costs $1,500 to enter, and you pick five NFL games every week.

7) Los Angeles Rams did a smart thing Tuesday, inking QB Jared Goff to a contract extension that keeps him in LA until at least 2024. Goff is one of only 13 quarterbacks who started a Super Bowl in their first three years in the NFL- he is 24-14 as an NFL starter, 24-7 under Sean McVay.

Goff banks $134M for four years, $110M of it guaranteed.

6) My sleep habits are weird, so I can see lot of games when they’re played overseas, but these World Cup basketball games in China are on at times when even I am asleep, from 4:30-10:30 am, so I’m going to miss out on them, unless NBA TV or ESPN replays them.

Saw that the American team needed OT to beat Turkey by a point; that not good.

5) Monday night’s Colorado-Dodger game was the first time in major league history there were 11+ doubles and 11+ homers in the same game.

4) Cody Bellinger has 44 home runs this season, off of 44 different pitchers.

3) From ESPN’s Michele Steele: When the Chicago Bears won the 1963 NFL title (before the Super Bowl existed), the NFL didn’t have a championship trophy, so Chicago mayor Richard Daley had a trophy made and presented it to the Bears.

2) 2019 Oakland Raiders were the 14th team to be featured on Hard Knocks; here is how the other 13 teams did both that season and in their Week 1 game:
— 5 of 13 teams made the playoffs; none made the Super Bowl.
— 3 of last 5 years, featured head coach was fired during/after the season.
— Teams are 4-7-1 SU in Week 1; ’17 Bucs had their opener postponed by a storm.
— Teams are 5-6-1 vs spread in Week 1; 3-3 as favorites, 2-3-1 as underdogs.

1) If the baseball playoff started today (they don’t):
NL: Braves-Cardinals-Dodgers. Wild Card: Cubs @ Nationals
AL: New York-Twins-Astros. Wild Card: A’s @ Rays

[StarDust Bum]

WNBA

Wednesday, September 4

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Trend Report
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Connecticut Sun
Connecticut is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Connecticut's last 6 games
Connecticut is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Dallas
Connecticut is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing Dallas
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Connecticut's last 5 games when playing Dallas
Connecticut is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against Dallas
Connecticut is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Dallas
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Connecticut's last 8 games when playing at home against Dallas
Dallas Wings
Dallas is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Dallas's last 8 games
Dallas is 6-17 ATS in its last 23 games on the road
Dallas is 2-21 SU in its last 23 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 13 of Dallas's last 19 games on the road
Dallas is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Connecticut
Dallas is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games when playing Connecticut
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Dallas's last 5 games when playing Connecticut
Dallas is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Connecticut
Dallas is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Connecticut
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Dallas's last 8 games when playing on the road against Connecticut


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WNBA
Long Sheet

Wednesday, September 4

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DALLAS (10 - 21) at CONNECTICUT (22 - 9) - 9/4/2019, 7:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
CONNECTICUT is 4-4 against the spread versus DALLAS over the last 3 seasons
CONNECTICUT is 6-2 straight up against DALLAS over the last 3 seasons
4 of 7 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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WNBA
Dunkel

Wednesday, September 4


Dallas @ Connecticut

Game 601-602
September 4, 2019 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Dallas
100.591
Connecticut
116.732
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Connecticut
by 16
163
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Connecticut
by 10 1/2
154
Dunkel Pick:
Connecticut
(-10 1/2); Over

[StarDust Bum]

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 4
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

DAL at CONN 07:00 PM

CONN -11.5

O 155.0

[StarDust Bum]

Sun clinch top-2 playoff seed, rout Wings
September 4, 2019
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UNCASVILLE, Conn. (AP) Jonquel Jones had 22 points and seven rebounds and the Connecticut Sun beat the Dallas Wings 102-72 on Wednesday night to clinch a top-two seed in the playoffs after their ninth straight home victory.

Connecticut (23-9) moved within a game of first-place Washington and three games ahead of third-place Los Angeles - with the top-two teams receiving a bye to the semifinals. Connecticut has a chance to set a club record with a win over Chicago on Friday by going 16-1 at home this season, topping its 15-2 mark in 2011.

Morgan Tuck scored 12 of her 17 points in the fourth quarter and Alyssa Thomas added 15 points for Connecticut, which has won seven of its last eight games.

Connecticut led 49-26 at halftime behind Jones' 18 points and six rebounds. Arike Ogunbowale had 14 of Dallas' 26 first-half points as her teammates were just 5-of-17 shooting.

Ogunbowale finished with 32 points for Dallas (10-22), which is 2-14 on the road this season. She reached 20-plus points for a rookie-record ninth straight game.

[StarDust Bum]

SCHEDULE FOR THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 5, 2019
Time (ET) Away Home Site
7:00 PM Las Vegas Aces Atlanta Dream State Farm Arena
10:30 PM Seattle Storm Los Angeles Sparks Staples Center


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

WNBA SEPT. OPINIONS AND BEST BETS: ALL BASED ON 5 UNITS

DATE W-L-T % UNITS RECORD


09/04/2019 2-0-0 100.00% +10.00
09/03/2019 3-3-0 50.00% -1.50
09/01/2019 3-3-0 50.00% -1.50


Total................8-6-0 57.14% +7.00


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

BEST BETS:

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


09/04/2019 ............1 - 0................+5.00...............1 - 0.............+5.00............+10.00
09/03/2019.............1 - 2................-6.00................2 - 1.............+4.50.............-1.50
09/01/2019.............2 - 1 ..............+4.50................1 - 2..............-6.00.............-1.50


Totals.....................4 - 3 ...............+3.50...............4 - 3.............+3.50..............+7.00

[StarDust Bum]

Thursday’s 6-pack

— A’s 6, Angels 0— Rookie C Murphy caught a shutout in his first big league game.

— Pirates 6, Marlins 5— Bryan Reynolds had a walk-off bloop single for the Bucs.

— Giants 9, Cardinals 8— Pillar’s two-run tater in 8th inning was the game-winner.

— Arizona 4, Padres 1— Rookie P Gallen tossed seven shutout innings.

— Reds 8, Phillies 5— Cincy’s Michael Lorenzen became the first player to earn a win, hit a HR and play in the field in the same game since Babe Ruth in 1921.

— Dodgers’ Joc Pederson hit five HR’s in a span of six AB’s, first time thats been done since Barry Bonds in 2001.

Quote of the Day
“He’s amazing. I just love it, the way he plays baseball, the energy. … He enjoys the game every single second, and I support him. I am here to support his fire. I know I’m gonna play with my head on fire.”
Cubs C Willson Contreras, talking about OF Vincent Castellanos

Thursday’s quiz
Who is the only active NFL player who has been the NFL MVP but isn’t a QB?

Wednesday’s quiz
Antonio Brown played his college football at Central Michigan.

Tuesday’s quiz
Cam Newton played for Florida and Auburn in college, as well as Blinn JC in Texas.

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

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

13) Ezekiel Elliott got a 6-year contract extension from the Cowboys worth more than $90M, with $50M+ in guarantees. Cowboys are 28-12 in regular season games when Elliott plays, and so he got paid.

12) Scary moment in Houston Tuesday night when Astros CF George Springer made a leaping catch in centerfield, but then stumbled and the back of his head hit the wall. Springer was in obvious pain and left the game.

11) Rhode Island is the 7th state with a mobile sports betting app; 13 states have sports betting, but the mobile app really increases betting handle.

I was sitting at a bar when we heard that Andrew Luck retired; imagine being able to grab your phone, jump into the betting app and trying to capitalize on that news? Would’ve been fun.

10) Football Outsiders Almanac projects the Miami Dolphins to be the NFL’s worst team; their projection is the worst one for any team since the 2012 Rams, who also had a new coach (Jeff Fisher) but they improved from 2-14 (under Steve Spagnuolo in 2011) to 7-8-1 that year.

What Miami is doing this seems similar to what the Raiders did LY, when they traded Khalil Mack and Amari Cooper for draft picks. Raiders finished 4-12 last year.

9) Speaking of the Raiders, my review of HBO’s Hard Knocks this summer:

— They didn’t show when guys get released, which is usually the most interesting part of the show; most of the late cuts get picked up somewhere else, anyway.

— Too much Jon Gruden; he’s gotten ton of airtime the last few years.

— Antonio Brown is finally healthy (His father was a great player in the Arena League– played for the Albany Firebirds)

Wa reading an article that said that Gruden/Mike Mayock wanted no part of being in Hard Knocks, but this was owner Mark Davis’ doing. That probably explains why HBO wasn’t given very good access.

8) By the way, Raiders have already fined Antonio Brown $53,950 for missing mandatory preseason activities.

7) Washington QB Jake Haener has transferred to Fresno State, where he’ll play for Jeff Tedford, who was Aaron Rodgers’ college coach. He’ll sit this season out and then will be eligible to play two more years.

6) Michigan State lost its long snapper, a 5th-year senior; he’s being replaced by a freshman.

5) New York 4, Texas 1— Bronx is now 10-0 the last ten times Will Little umped the plate in one of their games.

4) Around 11pm Wednesday, someone wagered $30,000 on the Buffalo Bills over 6.5 wins this season; the Westgate SuperBook reacted by moving up Bills’ win total up to 7 wins.

3) TV guys totally missed this Monday night, but there was a play in the Notre Dame-Louisville game Monday night when ND quarterback Ian Book threw a pass away, with the ball going way out of bounds- it drilled a Louisville cheerleader in the face.

Turns out the young lady broke her nose and is seeing a specialist for treatment. Not good.

2) Something to keep in mind when handicapping September baseball; some of the teams that aren’t conceding aren’t 100% trying to win; they have to take a look at their younger players, and some teams have innings limits on their pitchers.

Wednesday night in Arizona, San Diego took starting P Chris Paddack out of a 0-0 game in the sixth inning because he hit the 90-pitch mark; if the Padres were contending, no way he comes out there. But they don’t want Paddack overextending himself, so he came out.

1) I still disagree with teams who bat their pitcher 8th, and I’ve spent way too much time thinking about why they do it. It makes very little sense to me.