Announcement

**Udog** · 08-02-2020, 09:18 AM

Armadillo: Sunday's six-pack

Odds to win the golf tournament in Memphis today:
+240— Brendan Todd
4-1— BH An, Rickie Fowler
9-2— Brooks Koepka
15-2— Justin Thomas
30-1— Matthew Fitzpatrick
40-1— Louis Oosthuizen, Webb Simpson

Americans who have died from COVID-19: 153,989
Please wear a mask when you go out.

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Armadillo: Sunday's Den: Wrapping up a sports Saturday…….

13) 34 years ago this weekend, I made my first-ever visit to Las Vegas; stayed at a motel across the street from Circus Circus. Drove in from Los Angeles with my sister. Here are some of the quick things I remember from that trip:

— There is a sign on the highway from Barstow to Las Vegas: “If you don’t turn your air conditioner off, your car will overheat” Alrighty then.
— It was 112 degrees when we drove onto the Strip.

12) I wanted to bet the Mets against the Montreal Expos; the guy at the counter looks at me and says “Nice pick, but the game started 90 minutes ago”. I had forgotten to change my watch to west coast time. Whoops.
— I did bet the Mets to win the World Series that weekend, so I can say that I won my first-ever bet in the desert.
— Went into a sporting goods store in the Forum shoppes; they had the hat of my every pro team up on the wall. My eyes lit up, and that was the moment when my hat collection started.

11) I was like Linda Blair in The Exorcist; my head was spinning around like a top. So much to see, so many numbers to consume. It was so damn hot, but it was definitely a different world than I was used to.
— We stayed around 12-14 hours, say several casinos, then drove back to LA in the middle of the night, when it had cooled off to 95 or so. Quite a day.

10) A’s 3, Mariners 2 (10)— Weird strategy by Seattle, very weird. Down a run but with a fast guy on 2nd and no one out in the 10th, their #2 hitter, tries to sacrifice on an 0-1 pitch, fouls it off, then looked like he was bunting for a hit on the 0-2 pitch, but he popped out to the pitcher.

Giving up an out when you’re down a run is weird, especially with a decent hitter up. Don’t get me wrong, I was glad they fouled it up, but it wasn’t good strategy. The extra inning rule needs to go after this season, but it is providing some interesting stuff to think about.

9) Braves 7, Mets 1— Freddie Freeman DH’d for only the third time in his career, which is weird since he’s been in the majors for 11 years now. Even playing for an NL team, you’d think he would’ve DH’s some in their games in AL ballparks.

8) Dodgers’ pitching ace Clayton Kershaw makes his 2020 debut Sunday in Arizona, on the same weekend that the Detroit Lions put Kershaw’s high school teammate Matthew Stafford on the COVID-19 list. This is why having an NFL season is going to be dicey; NFL quarterbacks are so valuable, a starter has to miss a few weeks/months, and that team is in the ashcan.

7) I’m an advocate of higher-seeded teams picking their opponents in the first round of the playoffs. It was done in the G League for a while; we do it in our fantasy baseball league.

Would make for a great TV show, when the #1 seed has to announce who they choose to play in the first round of the playoffs. Then #2 has to choose, and so on……

6) Raptors 107, Lakers 92— Kyle Lowry scored 33 points, grabbed 14 rebounds as Toronto beat the Lakers for the 11th straight time.

5) Pacers 127, 76ers 121— TJ Warren scored 53 points for Indiana, which was +18 in the 41:00 that Warren played, minus-12 in the 7:00 he sat out.

4) Angels 5, Astros 4 (10)- Halos had lost their previous 64 games when they trailed in the 9th inning or later.

3) Rhode Island mistakenly issued tax refund checks signed by Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse instead of the state treasurer and controller. Now, I could be Captain Obvious and call it a goofy thing to do, but I’d rather let you insert your own joke here.

2) RIP to the great actor Wilfred Brimley, who passed away this weekend at age 85; he had a great acting resume. I remember him most from The Firm, Tender Mercies and The Natural “I should’ve been a farmer” Tremendous career, distinctive voice. Rest in peace, sir.

1) St Louis-Milwaukee series was cancelled this weekend, then Brewers’ OF Lorenzo Cain opted out of playing anymore this season. Can’t say I blame him.

I love watching baseball, I’m enjoying these games, but the owners are putting the players at tremendous physical risk by forging ahead with this season. Part of me thinks we should just bag the whole thing and play again next year.

**Udog** · 08-02-2020, 09:20 AM

WNBA

Sunday, August 2

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Trend Report
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Phoenix @ New York
Phoenix
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Phoenix's last 5 games
Phoenix is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing New York
New York
The total has gone OVER in 6 of New York's last 7 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of New York's last 7 games when playing Phoenix

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

Dallas @ Las Vegas
Dallas
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Dallas's last 5 games on the road
Dallas is 10-3 SU in its last 13 games when playing Las Vegas
Las Vegas
Las Vegas is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games at home
Las Vegas is 14-3 SU in its last 17 games at home

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**Udog** · 08-02-2020, 10:13 AM

WNBA
Long Sheet

Sunday, August 2

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PHOENIX (1 - 2) vs. NEW YORK (0 - 3) - 8/2/2020, 1:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

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

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ATLANTA (2 - 1) vs. INDIANA (1 - 2) - 8/2/2020, 3:30 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 INDIANA over the last 3 seasons
ATLANTA is 4-3 straight up against INDIANA over the last 3 seasons
5 of 7 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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DALLAS (2 - 1) vs. LAS VEGAS (1 - 2) - 8/2/2020, 6:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

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

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**Udog** · 08-02-2020, 11:54 AM

WNBA
Dunkel

Sunday, August 2

Phoenix @ New York

Game 607-608
August 2, 2020 @ 1:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Phoenix
103.725
New York
99.723
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Phoenix
by 4
181
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Phoenix
by 10 1/2
170 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
New York
(+10 1/2); Over

Atlanta @ Indiana

Game 609-610
August 2, 2020 @ 3:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Atlanta
106.738
Indiana
103.304
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Atlanta
by 3 1/2
159
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Indiana
by 1
169
Dunkel Pick:
Atlanta
(+1); Under

Dallas @ Las Vegas

Game 611-612
August 2, 2020 @ 6:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Dallas
103.376
Las Vegas
113.958
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Las Vegas
by 10 1/2
181
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Las Vegas
by 8
173
Dunkel Pick:
Las Vegas
(-8); Over

**Udog** · 08-02-2020, 11:57 AM

WNBA picks and predictions for August 2
Jason Logan

The Phoenix Mercury managed to avoid an 0-3 start to the WNBA season, but they currently have the worst scoring defense in the league.

WNBA betting continues to be the sharps’ best-kept secret and the wiseguys have three games to choose from inside the “Wubble” this Sunday.

Don’t believe us? Just check out the line movement on WNBA odds. So far in 2020, we’ve seen near double-digit adjustments on some games. The only thing that can move lines like that – without a late injury popping up – is sharp money.

Whether you’re a seasoned vet when it comes to the WNBA odds or getting down on “The Dub” for the first time, here are our favorite WNBA free picks and predictions for August 2.

Phoenix Mercury vs New York Liberty

New York rookie Sabrina Ionescu wasn’t just a great reason to pay attention to the Liberty this season, but also a budding superstar that could bring new fans to the WNBA. That progression is likely on hold for the foreseeable future after Ionescu suffered a nasty ankle injury Friday night.

That leaves New York without its leading scorer and makes this roster desperately thin on talent. The Liberty continue to struggle on defense, allowing 88 points per game through three contests, after finishing dead last in defense at 84.7 points against per outing in 2019.

Phoenix avoided a 0-3 start to the season with a win over Las Vegas on Friday. The Mercury’s biggest issues are on defense, giving up an average of 100 points on 51 percent shooting to opponents so far – dead last in the WNBA.

This total will take a tumble with Ionescu out of the lineup, opening up value on the Over with two terrible defensive teams.

PREDICTION: Over 171 (-110)

Dallas Wings vs Las Vegas Aces

Contrasting offensive philosophies collide in the “Wubble” when the Wings and Aces play Sunday. Dallas is a trigger-happy attack, jacking up more than 25 3-pointers per game to start the 2020 schedule. Las Vegas, on the other hand, has shot just 29 total 3-balls through three games this year.

The Wings had a wretched night from beyond the arc versus the Fever on Friday, connecting on only three of their 25 attempts from outside. Dallas still got the win but benefited from an equally-poor shooting performance from Indiana (just 36 percent). It won’t get let off the hook by Vegas on Sunday.

The Aces lost to Phoenix on Friday but were without starting guard Lindsay Allen, who was held out due to COVID-19 precautions after an inconclusive test result. She has since taken another test, which came back negative, and will play if given the all-clear Sunday.

Las Vegas is a very efficient team, firing at better than 48 percent from the field, and sits second in points per game despite not relying on 3-pointers. We’ll take that over the spotting shooting of the Wings, who rely on the triple to overcome their defensive shortcomings.

PREDICTION: Las Vegas -8 (-104)

Saturday's record: 1-2
Season record: 8-7

Announcement

Sunday's WNBA Trends and Indexes - 8/2

Sunday's WNBA Trends and Indexes - 8/2

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