Wnba 2014 season long hoops thread- picks, news, stats !

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WNBA
Dunkel

Phoenix at San Antonio
The Mercury look to bounce back from last night's 94-78 loss to Tulsa and come into tonight's contest with a 4-1 ATS record in their last 5 games following a SU defeat. Phoenix is the pick (-1 1/2) according to Dunkel, which has the Mercury favored by 7. Dunkel Pick: Phoenix (-1 1/2). Here are all of today's WNBA picks.

SATURDAY, JUNE 7

Game 651-652: Indiana at Connecticut (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Indiana 110.775; Connecticut 108.775
Dunkel Line & Total: Indiana by 2; 135
Vegas Line & Total: Connecticut by 3 1/2; 142
Dunkel Pick: Indiana (+3 1/2); Under

Game 653-654: Chicago at Atlanta (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Chicago 108.262; Atlanta 114.762
Dunkel Line & Total: Atlanta by 6 1/2; 165
Vegas Line & Total: Atlanta by 4 1/2; 158
Dunkel Pick: Atlanta (-4 1/2); Over

Game 655-656: Phoenix at San Antonio (8:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Phoenix 117.878; San Antonio 110.930
Dunkel Line & Total: Phoenix by 7; 164
Vegas Line & Total: Phoenix by 1 1/2; 158
Dunkel Pick: Phoenix (-1 1/2); Over




WNBA
Long Sheet

Saturday, June 7

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INDIANA (4 - 3) at CONNECTICUT (2 - 6) - 6/7/2014, 7:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
INDIANA is 96-132 ATS (-49.2 Units) as an underdog since 1997.
CONNECTICUT is 24-11 ATS (+11.9 Units) as a home favorite of 3 points or less since 1997.
CONNECTICUT is 99-67 ATS (+25.3 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent since 1997.

Head-to-Head Series History
CONNECTICUT is 8-5 against the spread versus INDIANA over the last 3 seasons
CONNECTICUT is 7-6 straight up against INDIANA over the last 3 seasons
7 of 13 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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CHICAGO (5 - 2) at ATLANTA (4 - 3) - 6/7/2014, 7:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
ATLANTA is 6-0 ATS (+6.0 Units) in home games in June games over the last 2 seasons.
ATLANTA is 26-12 ATS (+12.8 Units) off an upset win as an underdog since 1997.
ATLANTA is 10-0 ATS (+10.0 Units) in home games after scoring 75 points or more over the last 2 seasons.
CHICAGO is 15-6 ATS (+8.4 Units) in a road game where where the total is greater than or equal to 150 over the last 3 seasons.
CHICAGO is 19-10 ATS (+8.0 Units) vs. division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
ATLANTA is 4-12 ATS (-9.2 Units) after a non-conference game over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
ATLANTA is 5-5 against the spread versus CHICAGO over the last 3 seasons
CHICAGO is 6-4 straight up against ATLANTA over the last 3 seasons
6 of 10 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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PHOENIX (4 - 2) at SAN ANTONIO (4 - 4) - 6/7/2014, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
PHOENIX is 30-48 ATS (-22.8 Units) in all games over the last 3 seasons.
PHOENIX is 19-35 ATS (-19.5 Units) vs. division opponents over the last 3 seasons.
PHOENIX is 19-32 ATS (-16.2 Units) after a division game over the last 3 seasons.
PHOENIX is 23-37 ATS (-17.7 Units) after allowing 75 points or more over the last 3 seasons.
PHOENIX is 9-20 ATS (-13.0 Units) after a loss by 10 points or more over the last 3 seasons.
SAN ANTONIO is 11-27 ATS (-18.7 Units) in home games off an upset win as an underdog since 1997.
SAN ANTONIO is 31-52 ATS (-26.2 Units) in home games after scoring 75 points or more since 1997.

Head-to-Head Series History
SAN ANTONIO is 6-4 against the spread versus PHOENIX over the last 3 seasons
SAN ANTONIO is 6-4 straight up against PHOENIX over the last 3 seasons
6 of 10 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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WNBA

Saturday, June 7

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Trend Report
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7:00 PM
INDIANA vs. CONNECTICUT
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Indiana's last 6 games when playing Connecticut
Indiana is 3-7 ATS in its last 10 games when playing Connecticut
Connecticut is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Connecticut's last 6 games when playing Indiana

7:00 PM
CHICAGO vs. ATLANTA
Chicago is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games
Chicago is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games on the road
Atlanta is 2-8 ATS in its last 10 games
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Atlanta's last 7 games at home

8:00 PM
PHOENIX vs. SAN ANTONIO
Phoenix is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
Phoenix is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing San Antonio
San Antonio is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 5 of San Antonio's last 5 games at home

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Record as of FRIDAY Night:


*****.................................8 - 0

DOUBLE PLAY.......................6 - 3

TRIPLE PLAY.........................2 - 1


Date WLT Pct Net Units Record

06/06/14 6-*2-*0 75.00% +*1900 Detail
06/05/14 3-*1-*0 75.00% +*950 Detail
06/03/14 4-*0-*0 100.00% +*2000 Detail
06/01/14 6-*2-*0 75.00% +*1900 Detail

Totals 19-*5-*0 79.17% +6750


Saturday, June 7

Game Score Status Pick Amount

Indiana - 7:00 PM ET Indiana +4 500 *****

Connecticut - Under 142.5 500 *****

Chicago - 7:00 PM ET Chicago +5 500 *****

Atlanta - Over 158.5 500 *****

Phoenix - 8:00 PM ET San Antonio +2.5 500 DOUBLE PLAY

San Antonio - Under 159.5 500 *****

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WNBA
Dunkel

Washington at New York
The Liberty host a Washington team that is 10-4 ATS in the last 14 games between the two teams. Washington is the pick (+3 1/2) according to Dunkel, which has the Mystics favored by 1 1/2. Dunkel Pick: Washington (+3 1/2). Here are all of today's WNBA picks.

SUNDAY, JUNE 8

Game 601-602: Washington at New York (3:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Washington 110.520; New York 108.935
Dunkel Line & Total: Washington by 1 1/2; 140
Vegas Line & Total: New York by 3 1/2; 144 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Washington (+3 1/2); Under

Game 603-604: Minnesota at Los Angeles (3:30 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Minnesota 113.843; Los Angeles 119.939
Dunkel Line & Total: Los Angeles by 6; 168
Vegas Line & Total: Los Angeles by 3 1/2; 161
Dunkel Pick: Los Angeles (-3 1/2); Over




WNBA
Long Sheet

Sunday, June 8

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WASHINGTON (4 - 3) at NEW YORK (2 - 5) - 6/8/2014, 3:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
WASHINGTON is 249-301 ATS (-82.1 Units) in all games since 1997.
WASHINGTON is 156-197 ATS (-60.7 Units) as an underdog since 1997.
WASHINGTON is 14-29 ATS (-17.9 Units) in road games on Sunday games since 1997.
WASHINGTON is 157-196 ATS (-58.6 Units) vs. division opponents since 1997.
NEW YORK is 84-56 ATS (+22.4 Units) after a loss by 10 points or more since 1997.

Head-to-Head Series History
WASHINGTON is 6-4 against the spread versus NEW YORK over the last 3 seasons
NEW YORK is 6-4 straight up against WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
6 of 10 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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MINNESOTA (7 - 1) at LOS ANGELES (3 - 3) - 6/8/2014, 3:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
MINNESOTA is 32-17 ATS (+13.3 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
MINNESOTA is 20-10 ATS (+9.0 Units) vs. division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
MINNESOTA is 13-4 ATS (+8.6 Units) in road games versus poor defensive teams - allowing 77+ points/game over the last 3 seasons.
LOS ANGELES is 40-60 ATS (-26.0 Units) in a home game where where the total is greater than or equal to 150 since 1997.
LOS ANGELES is 6-15 ATS (-10.5 Units) in June games over the last 3 seasons.
LOS ANGELES is 23-41 ATS (-22.1 Units) after 3 or more consecutive overs since 1997.
LOS ANGELES is 74-102 ATS (-38.2 Units) after a win by 10 points or more since 1997.
LOS ANGELES is 139-175 ATS (-53.5 Units) after scoring 75 points or more since 1997.
LOS ANGELES is 25-42 ATS (-21.2 Units) in home games versus poor defensive teams - allowing 77+ points/game since 1997.

Head-to-Head Series History
MINNESOTA is 6-5 against the spread versus LOS ANGELES over the last 3 seasons
MINNESOTA is 6-5 straight up against LOS ANGELES over the last 3 seasons
6 of 11 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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WNBA

Sunday, June 8

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Trend Report
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3:00 PM
WASHINGTON vs. NEW YORK
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Washington's last 5 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Washington's last 7 games when playing New York
New York is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games when playing at home against Washington
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of New York's last 7 games when playing Washington

3:30 PM
MINNESOTA vs. LOS ANGELES
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Minnesota's last 6 games when playing Los Angeles
Minnesota is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games on the road
Los Angeles is 6-12 ATS in its last 18 games
Los Angeles is 16-8 SU in its last 24 games

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Preview: Mystics (4-3) at Liberty (2-5)

Date: June 08, 2014 3:00 PM EDT


Although a focus on rebounding and defense keyed their longest winning streak of the young season, the Washington Mystics couldn't overcome their struggles on the offensive end to continue that run.

Perhaps Washington will be able to put it all together against the scuffling New York Liberty.

The Mystics seek their best road start in franchise history with their fourth win in five games overall, while the Liberty try to avoid their fourth consecutive defeat Sunday at Madison Square Garden.

Washington, which has allowed WNBA lows of 71.3 points per game and 38.0 percent shooting, outrebounded its opponents 134-91 during a recent three-game winning streak.


The Mystics (4-3) continued that trend Friday, holding an 40-29 edge on the glass and limiting Indiana to 35.0 percent shooting. But they shot a season-worst 29.5 percent and committed 17 turnovers in a 64-61 home loss to Indiana.

'We survived for the last few games on great effort on rebounds and half-court defense and for the most part I think we actually did a pretty good job of that," said coach Mike Thibault, whose club couldn't protect a 16-point first-half lead. "But we were (an) awful offensive basketball team. Absolutely awful.'

Bria Hartley led Washington with 16 points and Ivory Latta contributed 12, but the starting guards shot a combined 7 for 22 overall and 2 for 11 from 3-point range.

The Mystics look to get back on track while improving to 3-0 on the road for the first time. They held Indiana and Connecticut under 35.0 percent shooting with a combined 82-60 rebounding advantage in their first two road wins.

New York (2-5) lost a third straight Thursday, allowing a season high-tying point total in an 87-75 defeat to San Antonio.

Tina Charles finished with 11 points and seven rebounds, well below her 14.9 and 11.0 season averages. The Liberty were held to 10 points on 3-of-15 shooting in the third quarter and committed 21 turnovers in the contest.

'We've got to be mentally stronger," said coach Bill Laimbeer, whose club has given it away 39 times the past two games. "We're not good enough to overcome those types of mistakes. We start turning the ball over and we're not going to win."

New York committed just 13 turnovers at Washington on May 30, but the Mystics used a relentless double-team to hold Charles to a season-low eight points in a 68-60 loss. Cappie Pondexter had a season-high 20 points for the Liberty.

Latta, averaging a team-high 14.1 points, stepped up for the Mystics with 10 of her 15 points in the final four minutes.

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Preview: Lynx (7-1) at Sparks (3-3)

Date: June 08, 2014 3:30 PM EDT


Minnesota coach Cheryl Reeve expressed her displeasure with the way the Lynx faltered down the stretch in their first loss.

Now she's hoping her club can bounce back to end their ongoing struggles against the Sparks in Los Angeles.

The defending champion Lynx will try to snap a five-game regular-season losing streak at Staples Center on Sunday when they resume their longest road swing of the season.

After getting out to a 7-0 start while extending its winning streak to 15 games including last season's playoff run, Minnesota stumbled for the first time in Friday's 65-62 loss at Seattle.

The Lynx came in averaging a league-best 87.1 points, but could only manage 22 second-half points en route to their lowest scoring output of the season. They missed 21 of their last 30 shots, splitting the first two on a four-game trip.

'It's going to be hard to beat any team in this league scoring 22 points in a half,' Reeve said. 'When the going got tough for us, we were no-shows tonight, which is not characteristic of our team. They wanted to win possessions more than we did.'

The Lynx could have a difficult time getting back on track since they've lost by an average of 16.2 points since their last regular-season road win over the Sparks (3-3) on Aug. 7, 2011. They've dropped 11 of the last 12 regular-season meetings at Staples.

Star forward Maya Moore totaled 26 points on 11-of-32 shooting in the three meetings in Los Angeles last season, while All-Star guard Seimone Augustus had a combined 39 while shooting 15 of 40.

Moore and Augustus will try to regroup after both had season lows with 12 points on a combined 11-of-27 shooting Friday. Moore entered the contest averaging a WNBA-leading 27.6 points, while Augustus was scoring 19.9 per game.

Candace Parker finished with 25 points or more twice while helping the Sparks take three of five in the 2013 season series. The reigning league MVP is averaging a team-high 21.3 points this season, but was forced into a reserve role in Friday's 102-88 win at Chicago because of an ankle injury she suffered in the previous contest.

'I was just trying to protect her early," coach Carol Ross said.

Parker still made a significant impact with 17 points, six rebounds and six assists as Los Angeles snapped a two-game losing streak by shooting a season-best 55.8 percent.

'I think we can continue this," Parker said. "This is just what we're capable of. Let's not make this the outlier game. Let's make this what we do and be consistent.'

Nneka Ogwumike and Kristi Toliver finished with 18 points apiece for the Sparks, who set franchise records for field goals made (43) and assists (31).

Ogwumike scored 18.3 per game in the three home wins versus Minnesota last season, while Toliver averaged 17.3.

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Standings

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Team Win Loss Percent GB Home Away Conf. Last 10 Streak

Atlanta Dream 5 3 .625 0 4-1 1-2 2-3 5-3 W-2

Chicago Sky 5 3 .625 0 4-2 1-1 5-1 5-3 L-2

Washington Mystics 4 3 .571 .5 2-3 2-0 3-1 4-3 L-1

Indiana Fever 4 4 .500 1 2-2 2-2 4-4 4-4 L-1

Connecticut Sun 3 6 .333 2.5 3-2 0-4 2-5 3-6 W-1

New York Liberty 2 5 .286 2.5 1-2 1-3 1-3 2-5 L-3




WESTERN CONFERENCE

Team Win Loss Percent GB Home Away Conf. Last 10 Streak

Minnesota Lynx 7 1 .875 0 3-0 4-1 3-1 7-1 L-1

Phoenix Mercury 5 2 .714 1.5 3-1 2-1 5-2 5-2 W-1

Los Angeles Sparks 3 3 .500 3 1-1 2-2 2-1 3-3 W-1

San Antonio Stars 4 5 .444 3.5 2-2 2-3 3-4 4-5 L-1

Seattle Storm 3 6 .333 4.5 2-1 1-5 2-3 3-6 W-1

Tulsa Shock 1 5 .167 5 1-1 0-4 1-5 1-5 W-1

Updated Sun Jun 8 11:36 AM EDT

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Record as of FRIDAY Night:


*****.................................8 - 5

DOUBLE PLAY.......................6 - 4

TRIPLE PLAY.........................2 - 1



Sunday, June 8

Game Score Status Pick Amount

Washington - 3:00 PM ET Washington +4.5 500 DOUBLE PLAY

New York - Under 143.5 500 *****

Minnesota - 3:30 PM ET Los Angeles -3.5 500 TRIPLE PLAY

Los Angeles - Under 164 500 TRIPLE PLAY

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WNBA
Long Sheet

Tuesday, June 10

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NEW YORK (3 - 5) at TULSA (1 - 5) - 6/10/2014, 12:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
NEW YORK is 68-45 ATS (+18.5 Units) in road games against Western conference opponents since 1997.
NEW YORK is 68-45 ATS (+18.5 Units) in road games in non-conference games since 1997.

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

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PHOENIX (5 - 2) at WASHINGTON (4 - 4) - 6/10/2014, 7:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
PHOENIX is 31-48 ATS (-21.8 Units) in all games over the last 3 seasons.
PHOENIX is 5-14 ATS (-10.4 Units) when playing with 2 days rest over the last 3 seasons.
PHOENIX is 25-12 ATS (+11.8 Units) in road games after 3 or more consecutive overs since 1997.
WASHINGTON is 249-302 ATS (-83.2 Units) in all games since 1997.
WASHINGTON is 156-198 ATS (-61.8 Units) as an underdog since 1997.
WASHINGTON is 151-189 ATS (-56.9 Units) after a division game since 1997.
WASHINGTON is 68-94 ATS (-35.4 Units) after a loss by 10 points or more since 1997.

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

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SEATTLE (3 - 6) at CHICAGO (5 - 3) - 6/10/2014, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
SEATTLE is 60-87 ATS (-35.7 Units) in road games after a division game since 1997.
SEATTLE is 27-46 ATS (-23.6 Units) off an upset win as an underdog since 1997.
SEATTLE is 85-56 ATS (+23.4 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 77+ points/game since 1997.
CHICAGO is 9-21 ATS (-14.1 Units) in home games on Tuesday since 1997.
CHICAGO is 0-6 ATS (-6.6 Units) after a loss by 10 points or more over the last 2 seasons.

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

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WNBA
Dunkel

New York at Tulsa
The Liberty travel to Tulsa this afternoon and come into the contest with a 6-1 ATS record in their last 7 games on Tuesday. New York is the pick (+4) according to Dunkel, which has the Liberty favored by 2 1/2. Dunkel Pick: New York (+4). Here are all of today's WNBA picks.

TUESDAY, JUNE 10

Game 651-652: New York at Tulsa (12:30 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: New York 110.520; Tulsa 107.797
Dunkel Line & Total: New York by 2 1/2; 148
Vegas Line & Total: Tulsa by 4; 154 1/2
Dunkel Pick: New York (+4); Under

Game 653-654: Phoenix at Washington (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Phoenix 112.928; Washington 111.509
Dunkel Line & Total: Phoenix by 1 1/2; 157
Vegas Line & Total: Phoenix by 4; 152 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Washington (+4); Over

Game 655-656: Seattle at Chicago (8:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Seattle 107.849; Chicago 111.173
Dunkel Line & Total: Chicago by 3 1/2; 142
Vegas Line & Total: Chicago by 7; 147
Dunkel Pick: Seattle (+7); Under




WNBA

Tuesday, June 10

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Trend Report
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12:30 PM
NEW YORK vs. TULSA
New York is 2-11 SU in its last 13 games when playing on the road against Tulsa
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of New York's last 6 games on the road
Tulsa is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games at home
Tulsa is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games when playing New York

7:00 PM
PHOENIX vs. WASHINGTON
Phoenix is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing Washington
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Phoenix's last 5 games
Washington is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against Phoenix
Washington is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Phoenix

8:00 PM
SEATTLE vs. CHICAGO
Seattle is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Chicago
Seattle is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games
Chicago is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Seattle
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Chicago's last 8 games when playing at home against Seattle

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Preview: Mercury (5-2) at Mystics (4-4)

Date: June 10, 2014 7:00 PM EDT


Be it luck or otherwise, the Phoenix Mercury are off to a solid start after pulling out an unlikely victory their last time out.

The Washington Mystics could use some luck when it comes to making shots.

Phoenix makes another stop on its season-high five-game road trip Tuesday night as it looks to hand the Mystics a third straight defeat.

The Mercury (5-2) have split the first two games of the trip and have won three of four after beating San Antonio 91-79 in double overtime Saturday. Trailing by six with 13 seconds left in regulation, Diana Taurasi and DeWanna Bonner hit 3-pointers to send the game into OT.

Taurasi finished with 19 points and was named Western Conference player of the week after averaging 20.3 points, 5.0 assists and 4.7 rebounds over three games.

'Sometimes there's a little bit of luck involved,' coach Sandy Brondello said. 'DeWanna hadn't made a 3 the whole game, but I had no hesitation going to her because I know she's capable of doing that. They just made big plays.'

Candice Dupree had a season-high 26 points and Brittney Griner added 16 and 18 rebounds for the Mercury, who will play Connecticut on Thursday and Minnesota on Sunday to finish the trip.

Phoenix won both meetings with Washington last season as Taurasi totaled 57 points. She seeks another solid performance against the Mystics (4-4), who are looking to bounce back after dropping the final two during a stretch of three games in four days.

They shot 29.5 percent in a 64-61 defeat to Indiana on Friday before hitting 33.3 percent from the field in Sunday's 81-64 loss to New York. Leading scorer Ivory Latta took only three shots and hit one while finishing with five points against the Liberty.

"We're still struggling shooting the ball," coach Mike Thibault said. "We're just not making shots. Everybody tries to make basketball more complicated than it is. Either the ball goes in or it doesn't. Sometimes it's not any more complicated than that."

Kara Lawson hit 6 of 10 from the field and finished with 17 points off the bench after totaling 15 in her previous four games. Kia Vaughn hit 4 of 9 shots and scored eight.

"Kara got going a little bit," Thibault said. "Kia Vaughn had a decent game. Beyond that, I don't think we had a lot of positives."

Washington ranks 10th in the 12-team league in field-goal percentage (40.4) and scoring (72.5). Phoenix is first at 48.7 percent shooting and second with 83.6 points per game.

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Preview: Liberty (3-5) at Shock (1-5)

Date: June 10, 2014 12:30 PM EDT


The Tulsa Shock have shed themselves of the label of the only WNBA team without a win. The New York Liberty have halted a three-game losing streak.

The teams will both try for their first winning streak of the season Tuesday in Tulsa, where the Shock will be going for a third straight home win in the series.

The Shock (1-5) began a four-game homestand with Friday's 94-78 victory over Phoenix.

"It's been a learning process and tonight it really kicked in for us," first-year coach Fred Williams said. "The guards really got after it defensively. That really set the tone for us up and down the floor."

The guards also got after it offensively, with rookie Odyssey Sims scoring a season-high 21 points while backcourt mate Skylar Diggins added 20, reaching that mark for the fourth time in six games after averaging 8.5 points as a rookie. She also had nine assists, matching her own Shock single-game record set on May 17 in San Antonio.

"I thought we had better spacing," Diggins said. "We have bigs like (Courtney Paris) and Glory (Johnson) who can finish. (Jennifer Lacy) came in and knocked a few (shots) down. It was a total team effort."

The Liberty (3-5) were similarly effective in Sunday's 81-64 home win over Washington, shooting 48.4 percent and going 7 for 11 from 3-point range while limiting the Mystics to 33.3 percent overall.

"I think after the last game we realized the energy level has to be better," coach Bill Laimbeer said. "We also had to open our offense more, which we did. We put a lot of stuff in the last couple of days. And I think they appreciated that and started to perform accordingly."

Guard Cappie Pondexter turned in the most noteworthy bounce-back effort after New York's 87-75 loss to San Antonio three days earlier, scoring a season-high 21 points while hitting 10 of 11 shots. She had been held to 12 points on 3-of-20 shooting in her previous two contests.

"Everyone wants to get better," Pondexter said. "We talked about what we needed to improve on, individually, and tonight it made us a better team."

They'll now try to apply that on the road, where they're 1-3 with three straight losses by single digits.

New York's stars will also try to continue growing comfortable playing with Tina Charles. The former league MVP, acquired in a draft-day deal with Connecticut, is averaging 14.8 points and 10.6 rebounds in her first eight games with her new team, but said the transition has at times been trying.

"Things take time," Charles said. "When I got here I didn't expect we would go 8-0. My expectation is it's going to take work and dedication and we have individuals here willing to do that."

The Shock beat the Liberty 93-88 at home on Sept. 1 to split last season's series. The home team has won the last five meetings.

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Preview: Storm (3-6) at Sky (5-3)

Date: June 10, 2014 8:00 PM EDT


Storm coach Brian Agler opted to bench All-Stars Sue Bird and Crystal Langhorne in favor of a shutdown lineup for the fourth quarter of their previous game and the result was Seattle's biggest win of the season.

After his tactic worked with WNBA leading scorer Maya Moore, Agler could use a similar approach Tuesday night when the Storm open a four-game trip against high-scoring Elena Delle Donne and the Chicago Sky.

Trailing by seven entering the final quarter against the unbeaten and defending champion Minnesota Lynx on Friday, Agler went with a lineup focused on stopping Moore despite Bird's season-high 10 assists and Langhorne's 13 points after three quarters.

Moore came in averaging 27.6 points but had only two in the fourth against Seattle (3-6), which held on for a 65-62 win after Tanisha Wright hit two free throws with 10.3 seconds remaining. Moore finished with 12 points.

"That group out there just played so instinctual defensively," Agler said. "I thought our defensive efforts in the second half were really on task. They made a lot of good decisions. I'm proud of our players. Hopefully we can build on that."

Wright scored 13 points to help the Storm win for the second time in three games after dropping five of their first six.

"We've had a lot of close games where we didn't close it out, or we were in position to win and gave it away," said Camille Little, who added 12 points. "I think we really wanted to focus on closing the game."

The focus now shifts to carrying that defensive effort into this contest while trying to force Delle Donne into another off night.

After scoring a career-high 33 points in Friday's 102-88 loss to Los Angeles, Delle Donne had a season-low seven and shot just 3 of 10 from the field in Saturday's 97-59 loss to Atlanta. She ranks second to Moore with a 22.3 scoring average.

The Sky (5-3) dropped out of sole possession of first place in the Eastern Conference with the back-to-back losses and were held to a season low for points against the Dream. Allie Quigley scored a team-high 11 off the bench, while Jessica Breland added 10.

"We just never got out of the gate," coach Pokey Chatman said.

Epiphanny Prince, who took a sabbatical from the Sky citing fatigue, scored seven points in nine minutes off the bench in her first appearance of the season. The guard averaged 15.0 points last season, and she'll likely be eased into her normal starting role as she gets back into game shape.

Chatman has used the same starting lineup for all eight games this season - Delle Donne, Breland, Courtney Vandersloot, Sasha Goddlett and Tamera Young - and it's unclear who will be the odd woman out when Prince gets back into the first five.

These teams split two meetings last season, with each club winning on the road.

[StarDust Bum]

Tuesday, June 10

Game Score Status Pick Amount

Phoenix - 7:00 PM ET Phoenix -4.5 500 TRIPLE PLAY

Washington - Over 152.5 500 TRIPLE PLAY


Seattle - 8:00 PM ET Seattle +6 500 DOUBLE PLAY

Chicago - Under 145.5 500 DOUBLE PLAY

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Storm (4-6) at Fever (4-4)

Date: June 11, 2014 7:00 PM EDT


The Indiana Fever are set to honor Lin Dunn, who will be inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame this weekend.

Despite all the distractions, the legendary coach remains focused on beating her former team.

The Fever could come out extra motivated as they go for a sixth consecutive home win over the Seattle Storm on Wednesday night.

In her seventh and final season with Indiana (4-4), Dunn, who announced her retirement in May, will be feted during a pre-game ceremony. She is the winningest coach in franchise history with 123 victories.

"All I know really for sure is that (Wednesday) night we're celebrating diversity night, we're playing the Seattle Storm and we're trying to beat them," said Dunn, who served as Seattle's first coach from 2000-02. "The good news is by Thursday, that'll be behind us and we'll be focused on the Hall of Fame event on Saturday, and then Sunday everything will be behind us and we can really get focused on this team."

After its four-game winning streak was snapped with Saturday's 88-71 loss at Connecticut, Indiana is hoping to bounce back.

"To get a win over her (Dunn's) old team might be a little icing on the cake," said point guard Briann January, leading the Fever with 14.1 points per game. "Just play our basketball from start to finish. From the tip-off, we need to play Fever defense, we need to play together on offense and put each other in successful situations and just play hard for 40 minutes."

The Fever's last home loss to the Storm was a 65-59 defeat in 2008.

"Seattle's really tough," said Dunn, whose team continues to play without All-Star forward Tamika Catchings. "They're a scrappy little team. They're down a player or two, they remind me a lot of us. They defend hard, they play hard. I think the key for us is they're coming off (the first leg of) a back-to-back. We need to keep the tempo up, we need to attack, we need to run, we need to get to the free-throw line. We need to make it a real up-tempo game."

The Storm (4-6) are coming off consecutive wins for the first time after pulling out an 80-76 victory at Chicago on Tuesday. Guard Tanisha Wright led the way with 17 points while Sue Bird and Camille Little combined for 25 against the Sky, who were without superstar Elena Delle Donne.

Seattle, which beat defending WNBA champion Minnesota 65-62 on Friday, outscored Chicago 42-30 in the first half and led by as many as 17 before letting up a bit down the stretch.

"Defensively we've been playing better," coach Brian Agler said. "We didn't do real well in the second half or the fourth quarter."

[StarDust Bum]

WNBA
Dunkel

Seattle at Indiana
The Storm (4-6) head to Indiana tonight to face a Fever team that is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games versus a team with a losing SU record. Seattle is the pick (+6) according to Dunkel, which has the Storm favored by 1. Dunkel Pick: Seattle (+6). Here are all of today's WNBA picks.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 11

Game 601-602: Seattle at Indiana (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Seattle 109.410; Indiana 108.471
Dunkel Line & Total: Seattle by 1; 146
Vegas Line & Total: Indiana by 6; 137
Dunkel Pick: Seattle (+6); Over




WNBA

Wednesday, June 11

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Trend Report
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7:00 PM
SEATTLE vs. INDIANA
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Seattle's last 9 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Seattle's last 6 games when playing on the road against Indiana
Indiana is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Seattle
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Indiana's last 6 games when playing at home against Seattle