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

[StarDust Bum]

Sunday, June 29

Game Score Status Pick Amount

Connecticut - 3:00 PM ET Connecticut +2.5 500
New York - Over 150 500

San Antonio - 4:00 PM ET San Antonio +2.5 500
Washington - Under 148 500

Phoenix - 4:30 PM ET Tulsa +4.5 500
Tulsa - Over 165 500

Atlanta - 6:00 PM ET Atlanta -3 500
Indiana - Over 155.5 500

Seattle - 7:00 PM ET Seattle +9 500
Minnesota - Over 151 500

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Stars-Sun Preview

The San Antonio Stars are enjoying their longest road win streak in two seasons.

The Connecticut Sun are seeking to win six straight at home for the first time in three seasons.

One of those streaks will continue and one will move over the .500 mark in Tuesday night's matchup between these 8-8 teams.

San Antonio extended its road win streak to four with Sunday's 73-65 victory over Washington. The Stars' last longer such run was a seven-game streak June 24-Aug. 19, 2012.

Connecticut seeks to avoid a third straight defeat as it returns home after Sunday's 67-65 loss at New York. The Sun can record their first six-game home win streak since Aug. 13-Sept. 11, 2011.

There is no word on whether San Antonio guard Jia Perkins will play after she sat out Sunday with a strained right hamstring.

With Perkins out, Becky Hammon stepped up with season highs of four 3-pointers and 17 points to key the win. Hammon reached double digits in points for the fifth time in 14 games.

"That's Becky Hammon being a leader," coach Dan Hughes said. "That's Becky saying you know what, we're going to miss Jia, but here I come."

San Antonio leads the WNBA in 3-point shooting at 39.1 percent, with Hammon tops in the league at 53.1.

The Stars enjoyed a rare strong defensive effort by limiting the Mystics to 38.1 percent shooting. San Antonio is last in the WNBA in defensive field-goal percentage at 48.2.

"I thought we played really smart for the most part," Hammon said. "Our zone kind of messed them up a little bit."

San Antonio will get its first look at Connecticut's Chiney Ogwumike. The top overall draft pick leads all rookies with six double-doubles -- which ties her for second in the league.

Ogwumike had 22 points and a season-best 17 rebounds Sunday. The Sun nearly rallied from an 11-point deficit in the fourth quarter.

"We had the perfect comeback being written and we tore out the last page," Ogwumike said. "At least we clawed our way back."

Katie Douglas will look to recover after she made 1 of 12 shots for three points. Douglas averaged 18.3 points over her three previous games.

The Stars have dropped seven of 10 visits to Connecticut. Danielle Adams averaged 17.0 points as these teams split two meetings a year ago with Hammon missing both contests.

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Shock-Liberty Preview


The New York Liberty put at least a temporary stop to their first-half woes to notch another win on their homestand.

They'll try to start fast again Tuesday night when they look to knock off the Tulsa Shock at home for a seventh straight time.

The Liberty (5-11) own the league's worst record, though they're 4-4 at home and have won two of their first three on a five-game homestand. New York claimed a three-point edge at halftime Sunday against Connecticut, marking just the fourth time the club has led at the break this season.

Cappie Pondexter and Tina Charles each had team highs of 14 points in a 67-65 win, seeing the Liberty improve to 3-1 in those contests.

"Coming out of today's game after watching video we saw what we could do better," Pondexter said. "We came out with a better attitude."

Pondexter, who is averaging a personal-worst 14.6 points per game, had been held scoreless for the first time in her career in Friday's 73-69 loss to Chicago.

"I knew I had to step up for my team and myself," she said. "Kind of get going early and not wait and get myself in a rut. I'm happy with my performance, but I know I can do better."

Pondexter struggled in a 72-57 loss at Tulsa on June 10, scoring seven on 2-of-14 shooting. Charles scored 25, while Skylar Diggins tallied 21 points and seven assists for Tulsa.

Diggins had averaged 31.3 points on 49.2 percent shooting over a three-game span before going 2 for 17 in Sunday's 80-77 home loss to Phoenix. However, she was 12 of 13 from the free throw line and finished with 16 points.

Diggins missed a contested shot on the final possession, marking the second straight loss for the Shock (6-9) after they had won six of eight. They lost in overtime to Los Angeles a day earlier.

Though Tulsa ranks second in the league with 82.7 points per game, they also allow the most at 83.3.

"We played hard," coach Fred Williams said of Sunday's defeat, which saw Brittney Griner block a WNBA-record 11 shots. "We're working hard. Every possession we had in the second half came down to a stoppage. Phoenix shot well, made some things with Griner in the post-up game and made it awfully difficult for us to get to the rim."

New York hasn't lost at home to the Tulsa franchise since a 61-59 setback to the then-Detroit Shock on Sept. 14, 2008.

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Fever-Dream Preview


The Indiana Fever have remained competitive during the most challenging portion of their schedule, but they continue to suffer from late collapses.

They'll have a chance to avenge their latest setback Tuesday night when they visit the East-leading Atlanta Dream for their second matchup in three days.

Indiana (6-9) has dropped four in a row and is trying to avoid its first five-game skid since a seven-game losing streak to open the 2013 season. However, three of its last four contests have come against the league's top three teams in Phoenix, Minnesota and Atlanta (11-4), which owns the conference's best record.

The Fever have held a second-half lead in each contest during their slide. They forced four straight turnovers at one point in the fourth quarter Sunday against Atlanta, going on a 7-0 run to take a three-point edge with 3:53 left. However, they missed their next shot and two free throws before Angel McCoughtry made a 3-pointer as part of Atlanta's game-ending 11-0 run in Indiana's 76-68 loss.

"We're not taking care of business at the end of the ballgame," Indiana coach Lin Dunn told the team's official website. "It's very disappointing because I thought we played hard enough and tough enough against a really, really good team to win the game."

Leading scorer Shavonte Zellous scored 18 and is averaging 21.2 points over her last four, but Briann January scored just nine on 3-of-9 shooting. January totaled 36 points over the clubs' first two matchups -- 16 in an 82-77 win in Atlanta on May 25, and 20 in a 90-88 home loss on May 17.

The Dream are a league-best 7-1 at home but have plenty of respect for the Fever following Sunday's victory, Atlanta's eighth in nine games.

"I tip my hat to this Indiana team," coach Michael Cooper said. "This is a team that's fighting, and they're definitely better than their record...We're very fortunate and lucky to get the win."

McCoughtry finished with 20 points and is averaging 22.0 in the three meetings.

"Once I get my focus, I can knock anything down," McCoughtry said after a slow first half. "I hit a 3, made a couple of plays to get us going and found my rhythm."

Indiana claimed a 37-30 rebounding advantage Sunday but shot 38.1 percent from the field and committed 18 turnovers.

An Atlanta win would clinch its third season series victory in four years.

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Sky-Sparks Preview


The Chicago Sky will be without two starters as they head to a place where they rarely win.

Elena Delle Donne and Courtney Vandersloot are out for the Sky, who have dropped their last six visits against the Los Angeles Sparks entering Tuesday night's matchup.

Delle Donne scored 13 points in Wednesday's 79-69 loss at Connecticut after missing five games due to Lyme disease. A recurrence of the illness caused her to miss Friday's 73-69 win at New York.

She is out indefinitely, while Vandersloot will be sidelined for 6 to 10 weeks with a sprain in her left knee.

"It's extremely frustrating for (Delle Donne), obviously physically, but it takes a mental toll as well," coach Pokey Chatman said. "She tries to be stoic about everything. But I told her, this thing is real and you are doing the right thing by dealing with it."

The star forward's absence didn't matter Friday since Epiphanny Prince scored 30 points. Prince matched her season high and is averaging 19.1 points in eight games after missing the first part of the season while taking time to recover from playing in Russia.

"She's a phenomenal player," Chatman said. "She was in rhythm early and has been ever since she rejoined us."

Prince has never been on a Chicago team that has won in Los Angeles. The Sparks (6-8) are 7-1 at home against the Sky (7-8) and seek a sweep of the season series after a 102-88 victory June 6.

Delle Donne scored 33 points in that contest while Chicago played without Prince and Sylvia Fowles, who are both back now. The Sparks prevailed thanks to a balanced attack with Nneka Ogwumike and former Sky guard Kristi Toliver each scoring 18 points and Candace Parker chipping in with 17.

Parker, the reigning league MVP, is fourth in the league with 19.9 points per game.

Toliver, however, may be the key to the Sparks' championship aspirations. She returned Saturday and made two free throws along with a key 3-pointer in overtime in a 92-89 victory at Tulsa.

The point guard came off the bench to score 12 points after she missed six games while helping Slovakia qualify for the European National Championship. Los Angeles went 2-4 without her.

"That's my job," said Toliver, who could start Tuesday. "That's what I get paid to do. We needed a big basket and that's what I do."

Parker had an off night with 15 points on 5-of-16 shooting for Los Angeles, which has won consecutive games for the first time. She added a team-high seven assists.

"It's a good win," Parker said. "This is our first back-to-back wins this season. It's obviously great to have Kristi back. She hit some big shots."

Ogwumike led Los Angeles with 22 points on 10-for-14 shooting

Chicago is 0-4 against Western Conference foes.

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WNBA Regular Season Standings - 2014

Eastern Conference

Eastern W L PCT GB HOME ROAD PF PA STREAK L 10

Atlanta 11 4 .733 - 7-1 4-3 81.9 76.5 Won 2 8-2

Connecticut 8 8 .500 3 ½ 7-2 1-6 76.1 76.1 Lost 2 7-3

Chicago 7 8 .467 4 5-5 2-3 80.2 81.9 Won 1 3-7

Washington 7 10 .412 5 4-6 3-4 72.4 73.9 Lost 1 3-7

Indiana 6 9 .400 5 3-5 3-4 75.8 78.6 Lost 4 4-6

New York 5 11 .313 6 ½ 4-4 1-7 72.7 75.6 Won 1 3-7




Western Conference

Western W L PCT GB HOME ROAD PF PA STREAK L 10

Phoenix 11 3 .786 - 5-1 6-2 84.6 77.1 Won 5 8-2

Minnesota 12 5 .706 ½ 6-1 6-4 81.6 77.9 Won 1 5-5

San Antonio 8 8 .500 4 3-5 5-3 78.0 78.9 Won 1 5-5

Los Angeles 6 8 .429 5 3-4 3-4 79.0 80.1 Won 2 4-6

Tulsa 6 9 .400 5 ½ 4-3 2-6 82.7 83.3 Lost 2 6-4

Seattle 7 11 .389 6 4-2 3-9 71.2 74.9 Lost 1 5-5

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WNBA
Dunkel

Tulsa at New York
The Shock (6-9) head to New York today to face a Liberty team that is 0-7 ATS in its last 7 games versus a team with a losing SU record. Tulsa is the pick (+3) according to Dunkel, which has the Shock favored by 1. Dunkel Pick: Tulsa (+3). Here are all of today's WNBA picks.

TUESDAY, JULY 1

Game 601-602: San Antonio at Connecticut (3:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: San Antonio 110.264; Connecticut 115.612
Dunkel Line & Total: Connecticut by 5 1/2; 147
Vegas Line & Total: Connecticut by 3; 151
Dunkel Pick: Connecticut (-3); Under

Game 603-604: Tulsa at New York (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Tulsa 110.139; New York 109.365
Dunkel Line & Total: Tulsa by 1; 160
Vegas Line & Total: New York by 3; 155 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Tulsa (+3); Over

Game 605-606: Indiana at Atlanta (8:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Indiana 106.616; Atlanta 118.499
Dunkel Line & Total: Atlanta by 12; 150
Vegas Line & Total: Atlanta by 8; 154
Dunkel Pick: Atlanta (-8); Under

Game 607-608: Chicago at Los Angeles (10:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Chicago 113.453; Los Angeles 116.995
Dunkel Line & Total: Los Angeles by 3 1/2; 161
Vegas Line & Total: Los Angeles by 6; 156
Dunkel Pick: Chicago (+6); Over




WNBA
Long Sheet

Tuesday, July 1

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SAN ANTONIO (8 - 8) at CONNECTICUT (8 - 8) - 7/1/2014, 7:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
SAN ANTONIO is 26-46 ATS (-24.6 Units) on Tuesday since 1997.
CONNECTICUT is 25-11 ATS (+12.9 Units) as a home favorite of 3 points or less since 1997.
CONNECTICUT is 7-1 ATS (+5.9 Units) in home games after a division game this season.
SAN ANTONIO is 19-8 ATS (+10.2 Units) in road games in May, June, or July games over the last 3 seasons.
SAN ANTONIO is 12-3 ATS (+8.7 Units) in road games against Eastern conference opponents over the last 3 seasons.
SAN ANTONIO is 12-3 ATS (+8.7 Units) in road games in non-conference games over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
SAN ANTONIO is 3-1 against the spread versus CONNECTICUT over the last 3 seasons
CONNECTICUT is 3-1 straight up against SAN ANTONIO 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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TULSA (6 - 9) at NEW YORK (5 - 11) - 7/1/2014, 7:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
TULSA is 11-4 ATS (+6.6 Units) in all games this season.
TULSA is 10-2 ATS (+7.8 Units) as an underdog this season.
TULSA is 11-4 ATS (+6.6 Units) in May, June, or July games this season.
NEW YORK is 4-11 ATS (-8.1 Units) in all games this season.
NEW YORK is 2-10 ATS (-9.0 Units) in a home game where where the total is greater than or equal to 150 over the last 2 seasons.
NEW YORK is 4-11 ATS (-8.1 Units) in May, June, or July games this season.
NEW YORK is 2-9 ATS (-7.9 Units) after a division game this season.
NEW YORK is 3-10 ATS (-8.0 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent this season.
NEW YORK is 0-7 ATS (-7.7 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record this season.
NEW YORK is 0-8 ATS (-8.8 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 77+ points/game this season.

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

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INDIANA (6 - 9) at ATLANTA (11 - 4) - 7/1/2014, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
INDIANA is 99-135 ATS (-49.5 Units) as an underdog since 1997.
INDIANA is 68-94 ATS (-35.4 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record after 15+ games since 1997.
ATLANTA is 19-9 ATS (+9.1 Units) in home games over the last 2 seasons.
ATLANTA is 12-3 ATS (+8.7 Units) in home games in May, June, or July games over the last 2 seasons.
ATLANTA is 15-5 ATS (+9.5 Units) in home games after a division game over the last 2 seasons.
ATLANTA is 6-0 ATS (+6.0 Units) in home games after scoring 75 points or more this season.
INDIANA is 8-2 ATS (+5.8 Units) after a division game this season.
INDIANA is 8-2 ATS (+5.8 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
ATLANTA is 9-8 against the spread versus INDIANA over the last 3 seasons
ATLANTA is 10-7 straight up against INDIANA over the last 3 seasons
8 of 16 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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CHICAGO (7 - 8) at LOS ANGELES (6 - 8) - 7/1/2014, 10:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
LOS ANGELES is 20-31 ATS (-14.1 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
LOS ANGELES is 16-27 ATS (-13.7 Units) as a favorite over the last 2 seasons.
LOS ANGELES is 41-63 ATS (-28.3 Units) in a home game where where the total is greater than or equal to 150 since 1997.
LOS ANGELES is 11-23 ATS (-14.3 Units) after a division game over the last 2 seasons.
LOS ANGELES is 140-177 ATS (-54.7 Units) after scoring 75 points or more since 1997.
LOS ANGELES is 26-45 ATS (-23.5 Units) in home games versus poor defensive teams - allowing 77+ points/game since 1997.

Head-to-Head Series History
CHICAGO is 4-1 against the spread versus LOS ANGELES over the last 3 seasons
LOS ANGELES is 3-2 straight up against CHICAGO over the last 3 seasons
4 of 5 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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WNBA

Tuesday, July 1

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Trend Report
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7:00 PM
SAN ANTONIO vs. CONNECTICUT
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of San Antonio's last 7 games when playing Connecticut
San Antonio is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Connecticut's last 6 games when playing at home against San Antonio
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Connecticut's last 5 games

7:00 PM
TULSA vs. NEW YORK
Tulsa is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against New York
Tulsa is 2-7 SU in its last 9 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of New York's last 6 games
New York is 1-7 ATS in its last 8 games

8:00 PM
INDIANA vs. ATLANTA
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Indiana's last 5 games when playing on the road against Atlanta
Indiana is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Atlanta
Atlanta is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing Indiana
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Atlanta's last 7 games when playing Indiana

10:00 PM
CHICAGO vs. LOS ANGELES
Chicago is 2-7 SU in its last 9 games
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Chicago's last 8 games when playing on the road against Los Angeles
Los Angeles is 5-13 ATS in its last 18 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Los Angeles's last 6 games

[StarDust Bum]

Tuesday, July 1

Game Score Status Pick Amount

Tulsa - 7:00 PM ET Tulsa +2.5 500
New York - Under 156 500 *****

San Antonio - 7:00 PM ET San Antonio +4 500 DOUBLE PLAY
Connecticut - Over 152.5 500

Indiana - 8:00 PM ET Atlanta -7.5 500 TRIPLE PLAY
Atlanta - Over 154 500

Chicago - 10:00 PM ET Chicago +6.5 500 *****
Los Angeles - Under 156.5 500

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Fever (7-9) at Mystics (7-10)

Date: July 02, 2014 7:00 PM EDT


Having put an end to their longest losing streak of the season, the inconsistent Indiana Fever are aiming to win consecutive contests for the first time in almost a month.

The Fever might have trouble getting another victory unless they can solve the WNBA's best defensive club Wednesday night when they visit the Washington Mystics.

After dropping four straight for the first time since a seven-game skid that was part of a 1-7 start in 2013, Indiana got back on track in Tuesday's 77-70 win at Eastern Conference-best Atlanta.

Former Mystics guard Karima Christmas matched a season high with 18 points and added a season-best nine rebounds for the Fever (7-9), who moved past idle Washington (7-10) into fourth place in the East.

Little-used guard Sydney Carter came up big as well, scoring all 11 of her points in the second half.

'With Carter, having another guard really helped us. She and Christmas are MVPs,' coach Lin Dunn said. 'Sydney had a real bad ankle sprain. We're getting her back in the lineup (from now on)."

Now Indiana hopes to notch back-to-back wins for the first time since a four-game run from May 25-June 6.

The last of that winning streak was a 64-61 victory in the nation's capital when Marissa Coleman helped overcome the loss of then-leading scorer Briann January with a season-high 20 points against her former club.

Erlana Larkins added 13 points and nine rebounds as Indiana rallied back from a 16-point first-half deficit.

The Fever won Tuesday despite leading scorer Shavonte Zellous shooting 3 of 14 and finishing with 11 points. She had averaged 23.0 points in her previous three games.

Indiana and Washington have split two meetings, with the Mystics notching a 79-63 win in Indianapolis on May 23 as they held the Fever to 34.8 percent shooting.

Indiana's 40.6 field-goal percentage is the league's worst, so it could again be in for a tough time against a Washington club that allows league lows of 73.9 points per game and 40.8 percent shooting.

Washington hopes to regroup after its two-game winning streak was snapped in a 73-65 home loss to San Antonio on Sunday. Monique Currie had a season-high 18 points and Ivory Latta added 14, but the Stars scored the game's final seven points.

'We didn't execute," Currie said. "I think moreso than being fatigued or worn out it was execution."

Latta, who leads Washington with 10.9 points per game, has totaled 23 points on 4-of-15 shooting - including 3 for 12 from 3-point range - against the Fever.

Rookie Bria Hartley, who missed all five of her field-goal attempts and went scoreless Sunday, has averaged 15.5 points and shot 50 percent against Indiana.

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Sky (8-8) at Mercury (11-3)

Date: July 02, 2014 10:00 PM EDT


Brittney Griner has been a big reason the Phoenix Mercury have surged to the top of the WNBA.

As Griner looks to help the Mercury to a sixth straight victory Wednesday night, she won't get the chance to make up for her team's struggles last season against fellow second-year star Elena Delle Donne of the Chicago Sky.

Griner scored 21 points and blocked a league-record 11 shots in an 80-77 win at Tulsa on Sunday.

"To (set a record) is pretty big, now I guess I have to try to beat it," said Griner, who topped the previous mark of 10 set by Lisa Leslie (2004) and Margo Dydek (2001).

Aside from a four-point effort in Friday's 81-76 win at Indiana, Griner has averaged 25.3 points in the other three of a four-game stretch.

"When she started to get more physical and deeper in the paint, that's when she's tough to guard," Phoenix coach Sandy Brondello said.

The Mercury (11-3), with a one-half game lead over Minnesota for the WNBA's best record, will try to win six in a row for the first time since July 1-15, 2011. They've won four straight at home by an average of 14.0 points.

'We're talented, we're pretty well balanced,' guard Diana Taurasi said. 'That's how we want to play this year. We're aggressive and confident in what we're doing.

'We're playing with a little more focus."

That hasn't always been the case during a three-game skid against Chicago (8-8), as the Sky have won the last two meetings at Phoenix by 53 points.

Griner totaled 23 points, 11 rebounds and eight blocks in the two matchups with the Sky last season, but 2013 rookie of the year Delle Donne, the second overall draft pick behind Griner, scored 40.

Delle Donne, who hit a jumper in the lane as time expired in Chicago's 70-68 home win over the Mercury on Sept. 11, will sit for the eighth time in nine games while dealing with a flare up of Lyme disease. She's averaged 21.2 points in nine games this year.

Chicago also announced Monday that point guard Courtney Vandersloot, averaging 7.3 points and 6.3 assists, will miss six to 10 weeks with a sprained knee. However, rookie guard Jamierra Faulkner stepped up in her first career start Tuesday, scoring a season-high 27 points as Chicago won its second straight, 90-83 at Los Angeles.

'I'm taking on a big role,' Faulkner said. 'It's a big change because of the different things that I have to learn. Courtney Vandersloot has been helping me a lot. She's been talking to me every timeout and in practice, so I have the support that I need.'

Epiphanny Prince totaled 47 points against Phoenix last season. She is averaging 18.7 in nine games since making her season debut after taking time to recover from playing overseas.

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WNBA
Long Sheet

Wednesday, July 2

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INDIANA (7 - 9) at WASHINGTON (7 - 10) - 7/2/2014, 7:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
INDIANA is 100-135 ATS (-48.5 Units) as an underdog since 1997.
INDIANA is 37-57 ATS (-25.7 Units) as a road underdog of 3.5 to 6 points since 1997.
WASHINGTON is 6-0 ATS (+6.0 Units) in home games when playing with 2 days rest over the last 2 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 7-0 ATS (+7.0 Units) after a non-conference game this season.
INDIANA is 9-2 ATS (+6.8 Units) after a division game this season.
WASHINGTON is 253-307 ATS (-84.7 Units) in all games since 1997.
WASHINGTON is 22-38 ATS (-19.8 Units) on Wednesday since 1997.
WASHINGTON is 159-199 ATS (-59.9 Units) vs. division opponents since 1997.
WASHINGTON is 19-39 ATS (-23.9 Units) after 3 or more consecutive unders since 1997.
WASHINGTON is 11-24 ATS (-15.4 Units) in home games off a upset loss as a favorite since 1997.

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

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CHICAGO (8 - 8) at PHOENIX (11 - 3) - 7/2/2014, 10:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
CHICAGO is 13-3 ATS (+9.7 Units) in road games off an upset win as an underdog since 1997.
PHOENIX is 34-52 ATS (-23.2 Units) in all games over the last 3 seasons.
PHOENIX is 14-27 ATS (-15.7 Units) in home games over the last 3 seasons.
PHOENIX is 12-26 ATS (-16.6 Units) in a home game where where the total is greater than or equal to 150 over the last 3 seasons.
PHOENIX is 26-40 ATS (-18.0 Units) after allowing 75 points or more over the last 3 seasons.
PHOENIX is 3-11 ATS (-9.1 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 77+ points/game after 15+ games over the last 3 seasons.
PHOENIX is 16-30 ATS (-17.0 Units) in home games versus good offensive teams - scoring 77+ points/game after 15+ games since 1997.

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

[StarDust Bum]

WNBA
Dunkel

Chicago at Phoenix
The Mercury play host to a Chicago team that is 0-6 ATS in its last 6 games against Western Conference opponents. Phoenix is the pick (-8 1/2) according to Dunkel, which has the Mercury favored by 15. Dunkel Pick: Phoenix (-8 1/2). Here are all of today's WNBA picks.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 2

Game 651-652: Indiana at Washington (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Indiana 109.967; Washington 111.747
Dunkel Line & Total: Washington by 2; 148
Vegas Line & Total: Washington by 4; 143 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Indiana (+4); Over

Game 653-654: Chicago at Phoenix (10:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Chicago 107.095; Phoenix 122.027
Dunkel Line & Total: Phoenix by 15; 157
Vegas Line & Total: Phoenix by 8 1/2; 162
Dunkel Pick: Phoenix (-8 1/2); Under




WNBA

Wednesday, July 2

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Trend Report
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7:00 PM
INDIANA vs. WASHINGTON
Indiana is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games
Indiana is 11-4 SU in its last 15 games when playing Washington
Washington is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games at home
Washington is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games at home

10:00 PM
CHICAGO vs. PHOENIX
Chicago is 4-12 SU in its last 16 games when playing Phoenix
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Chicago's last 6 games when playing on the road against Phoenix
Phoenix is 12-4 SU in its last 16 games when playing Chicago
Phoenix is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against Chicago

[StarDust Bum]

Wednesday, July 2

Game Score Status Pick Amount

Indiana - 7:00 PM ET Indiana +5 500 DOUBLE PLAY

Washington - Over 144 500 DOUBLE PLAY

Chicago - 10:00 PM ET Phoenix -9 500 DOUBLE PLAY

Phoenix - Under 162.5 500 DOUBLE PLAY

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Shock (6-10) at Sun (8-9)

Date: July 03, 2014 7:00 PM EDT


After putting together a lengthy winning streak, the Connecticut Sun are suddenly on the verge of their longest skid of the season.

The Sun try to get back on track as they open a home-and-home series against the visiting Tulsa Shock on Thursday night.

Connecticut (8-9) has followed a six-game run with three consecutive defeats after falling 74-71 to San Antonio on Tuesday. The Sun, who averaged 85.2 points during the winning streak, have been limited to 66.3 per game over the last three.

Katie Douglas had a season-high 25 points but star rookie Chiney Ogwumike finished with a season-low six, well below her team-best mark of 15.6 per game.

The Sun went 4 of 7 from the foul line while the Stars made 16 of 17. Connecticut stormed back from 12 down with just over a minute left in the third quarter but couldn't keep up down the stretch.

The Sun, who had won each of their previous five at home, missed nine layups in the second quarter and 11 in the first half.

"Eleven missed layups in the first half are tough to overcome, and at the same time you overcome it, you don't get lax on defense," said coach Anne Donovan, whose team was outscored 28-15 in the third quarter.

"The points San Antonio scored in the third quarter were a product of us thinking about missed layups and missed shots and us being completely complacent defensively."

Sitting at the bottom of the Western Conference, Tulsa (6-10) is also trying to avoid a fourth consecutive loss following a 90-74 defeat at New York on Tuesday. The Shock were outplayed in almost every facet of the game, getting outrebounded 45-27 and outscored 52-36 in the paint.

Star guard Skylar Diggins got off to a slow start before scoring 20 of her 23 points in the second half. The Shock pulled to within four with 37 seconds left in the third quarter before getting outscored 26-16 in the fourth.

"I was trying to be more aggressive and get different looks,' Diggins said of her second-half play. "That was our problem. We weren't aggressive until the third quarter. Got more finishes, more fast-break points. That's when we're playing our best basketball."

Diggins, averaging a team-best 20.9 points, has scored 26.6 over a five-game stretch.

The Shock have dropped three of four to Connecticut after splitting two meetings last season, including a lopsided 88-69 road loss. Tulsa is 2-7 as the visiting team this year.

The Shock are allowing a WNBA-worst 83.8 points per game, including 91.6 while losing five of seven. The Sun have won seven straight when scoring at least 75.

These clubs meet again Saturday night in Tulsa.

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Sparks (6-9) at Storm (7-11)

Date: July 03, 2014 10:00 PM EDT


Nearly halfway through the season, the Los Angeles Sparks are still seeking to solve their inconsistency.

That hasn't been too much of a problem against the Seattle Storm.

The Sparks will try to improve to 3-0 in the season series when they begin a road-heavy stretch Thursday night.

Los Angeles rebounded from a season-worst four consecutive losses to take three of four but couldn't keep that going Tuesday against short-handed Chicago. The Sparks (6-9) failed to take advantage of the absences of Sky star Elena Delle Donne and starting guard Courtney Vandersloot in a 90-83 defeat.

Nneka Ogwumike had a season-high 26 points and Candace Parker scored 22, but no other teammate registered more than 10.

Los Angeles has allowed 89-plus points in each of the last two games after giving up an average of 68.7 in its prior three. The Sparks are near the bottom of the WNBA in opponents' points per game (80.8).

"We're almost halfway through the season, and we're still having the same problems," Parker said. "We'll figure it out and at some point we've got to sit down and figure out what the problem is because we can't keep saying we're going to figure it out."

The Sparks allowed their fewest points in 2014 in a 65-57 home win over the Storm (7-11) on June 24, and they opened the season with an 80-69 victory in Seattle on May 16.

Los Angeles will try to pick up another victory to kick off a stretch in which five of the next six games are on the road. The Sparks have their lone home game Sunday against Phoenix before starting a season-high road trip Tuesday versus Minnesota.

Seattle will seek its fifth win in six home games after topping Minnesota 81-71 at KeyArena on Friday. The Storm couldn't complete the home-and-home sweep Sunday despite facing a short-handed squad.

The Lynx were without second-leading scorer Seimone Augustus, but they pulled out a 74-69 victory. Sue Bird had 21 points for Seattle after scoring a combined 18 in her two prior games.

The rest of the Storm's starters totaled 19 points while Jenna O'Hea had 14 off the bench after matching a career high with 15 on Friday.

Seattle erased a nine-point deficit early in the fourth quarter in less than four minutes but scored one point in the final 51 seconds.

"We were down 10 at halftime, so we had to come from behind. That takes a lot of energy and I think although we did a great job and we feel good about coming back, it doesn't feel so good to lose," Bird told the Storm's official website. "They made some plays at the end of the game to get that win. You win some you lose some."