2016 wnba thread news notes picks !

[CNOTES]

Preview: Fever (7-10) at Sparks (16-1)
Date: July 06, 2016 10:30 PM EDT

The Indiana Fever enter the second half of the WNBA season on the fringe of a playoff spot.


That is not great news as Indiana tries to get forward Tamika Catchings into the postseason in her 16th and final season in the league.


The worse news: Indiana has yet to play the Los Angeles Sparks.


The Sparks (16-1) and Fever (7-10) will play the first of three meetings this season Wednesday night in Los Angeles.


"Just focus on the Fever, focusing on those details," Indiana guard Shenise Johnson told WNBA.com about the matchup. "If we do that, we should take care of business."


Easier said than done against the Sparks, who shoot league highs from the field (49.1 percent) and 3-point range (39 percent), while holding opponents to a league-low 72.5 points per game.


While the Fever battle for one of eight spots in the 12-team league, the Sparks sit at the top, having tied the 1998 Houston Comets for the best 17-game start in league history.


Los Angeles is coming off a 77-67 home victory over the New York Liberty on Sunday. Forward Nneka Ogwumike continued to make her MVP case with 22 points, 15 rebounds and three blocked shots in the battle of conference leaders.


Ogwumike is averaging 18.6 points and 8.8 rebounds per game while shooting 69.9 percent from the field.


The Sparks have a second MVP candidate in center Candace Parker (16.2 points, 6.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game). Guard Kristi Toliver has the best assist-to-turnover ratio in the league (3.7-to-1) on a well-balanced team.


Indiana, which is starting a three-game road trip, is led in scoring by Catchings at 13.7 points per game. Guard Tiffany Mitchell is averaging 11.2 points per game. Center Erlana Larkins is coming off a 16-point, 17-rebound performance in the team's 87-85 overtime loss to San Antonio on Friday night.


Indiana has re-signed guard Jeanette Pohlen, who was waived in camp. Pohlen, who had been with the Fever since coming out of Stanford in 2011, could add an outside threat to a team that shoots 28.5 percent behind the arc, 11th in the WNBA.


Pohlen is a career 42.5 percent shooter on 3-point attempts.




WNBA HEAD TO HEAD


Aug 26, 2015 Score ATS Results
LOS « 81 Cover: 6
IND 79 Over: 160
Tools: Recaps


Aug 18, 2015 Score ATS Results
IND « 79 Cover: 15
LOS 68 Under: 147
Tools: Recaps

 

[CNOTES]

Standings

EASTERN CONFERENCE


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


New York Liberty 12 6 0.667 0 4-4 8-2 6-1 8-2 L-1


Washington Mystics 9 9 0.500 3 4-6 5-3 5-4 7-3 L-1


Atlanta Dream 9 9 0.500 3 5-4 4-5 6-4 3-7 W-1


Indiana Fever 7 10 0.412 4 3-5 4-5 3-5 4-6 L-1


Chicago Sky 7 10 0.412 4 4-3 3-7 5-4 4-6 L-1


Connecticut Sun 4 13 0.235 7 2-6 2-7 0-7 3-7 W-1





WESTERN CONFERENCE


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


Los Angeles Sparks 16 1 0.941 0 9-1 7-0 7-1 9-1 W-5


Minnesota Lynx 15 3 0.833 1 7-2 8-1 8-1 7-3 W-2


Dallas Wings 9 10 0.474 8 5-6 4-4 7-3 6-4 W-1


Phoenix Mercury 8 11 0.421 9 5-4 3-7 1-9 5-5 L-1


Seattle Storm 6 11 0.353 10 4-5 2-6 2-6 3-7 L-2


San Antonio Stars 4 13 0.235 12 3-5 1-8 1-6 3-7 L-1





Updated Wed Jul 6 11:07 AM EDT

 

[CNOTES]

7/5 - Tuesday's Results: 2 - 4


July's Total: 9 - 13


Overall : WLT PCT UNITS RANK


ATS Picks 45-44-3 50.56% -1700


O/U Picks 48-44-0 52.17% -200




WEDNESDAY, JULY 6


GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS


SEA at NY 07:00 PM

SEA +9.0


U 158.0




WAS at SA 08:00 PM


SA +7.0


O 150.0




IND at LA 10:30 PM


IND +12.0


O 158.5

 

[CNOTES]

Armadillo: Thursday's six-pack


-- Dwyane Wade signed with Chicago, ending his 13-year run with the Heat.


-- To clear cap room, the Bulls traded Jose Calderon to the Lakers, Mike Dunleavy to the Cavaliers.


-- Wade has banked $156M (in salary) in his career; don't want to hear any whining about Miami not showing him respect- he'll turn 35 during next season.


-- Matt Harvey (shoulder) goes on DL; bad news for the Mets.


-- Orioles 6, Dodgers 4 (14)-- Chase Utley had six hits for the Dodgers.


-- 40-year old Ray Allen may be coming out of retirement, possibly to play for the Warriors. Allen last played for the Heat in 2014-- he turns 41 on July 20.


**********

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


13) Interesting article in Las Vegas *************** today about minor league baseball players and the language barriers guys from Central America face when they get here. It is remarkable that this is the first year it is mandatory for major league teams to have a Spanish translator with the ballclub.


It can be even worse for players from Curacao or Asia, who speak other languages.


12) Next Mega Millions jackpot will be at least $508M.


I worked for the New York State for 34 years; always laughed when there was a line for lottery tickets in the coffee shop, when they would bust your balls upstairs about running a football pool.


11) Kyrie Irving has played in 309 of a possible 410 games (75.4%) in the five years he's played in the NBA with the Cavaliers. He makes $7M a year.


Over last five years, Derrick Rose has played in 166 of a possible 410 games (40.5%) for the Bulls. He makes $18M a year.


Utah Jazz TV analyst Ron Boone played in 1,041 consecutive games, from 1969-80. Boone scored 17,437 points in his career, averaging 16.8 ppg.


Maybe the big money today has softened modern athletes; the quality of player today may be higher than it used to be, but yesterday's players were tougher. .


10) Brooklyn Nets will pay Tyler Johnson $50M over the next four years. Johnson has played 68 games for Miami in two years, starting seven. Thats $12.5M a year.


Steph Curry makes $12.1M a year. Something is amiss here.


9) In 2013, the California Franchise Tax Board collected $229.2M in tax revenue from athletes who played games in the Golden State. With the boost in NBA salaries this yearand the Rams coming back to Los Angeles, imagine what the tax board will be collecting next year?


8) NBA is experimenting with four referees in summer league games. I forgot who said this, but when they were switching from two to three refs a game 20-25 years ago or whenever it was, one coach said, "Just one more guy to yell at."


7) Movie trivia: Remember League of Their Own, the movie about women's baseball with Geena Davis, Tom Hanks and Madonna?


One of the pitchers for an opposing team in the movie was Janet Jones, better known now as Wayne Gretzky's wife/Dustin Johnson's mother-in-law


6) Since 2009, San Diego Padres have used 18 different shortstops.


5) In his last 32 games against the Giants, Nolan Arenado has 45 RBI.


4) Barry Bonds suggested that if Ichiro Suzuki were in the Home Run Derby, he would win it; he is not the first person I've heard say that. Next year's All-Star Game is in Miami; if Ichiro is still a Marlin then, he should be in the 2017 Home Run Derby.


3) For whatever reason, there are four All-Star games in a row in NL parks, so this year, the American League will be the home team, even though the game is in sunny San Diego. The DH should be used in All-Star Games every year-- no pitcher should ever bat in an All-Star Game-- it is nonsensical.


2) Arizona TV analyst Bob Brenly was describing how catchers go into a cold tub in the training room to revitalize their legs during a long baseball season.


Picture a big tub filled with cold slush; a catcher steps into that, and there is lot of pain for about two minutes. Then, Brenly says, you lose all the feeling in your legs as they go numb from the cold. After 5-7 more minutes, you get out of the tub, and when the blood rushes back into your legs and they regain feeling, they're supposed to feel re-energized. The hard part is staying in the tub during that first two minutes.


1) I subscribe to ESPN.com: Insider because there is good info in there; with that I get a subscription to ESPN's magazine, which is a complete waste of paper. Maybe it is geared to really young people, I don't know. Lot of stuff I don't care about.

 

[CNOTES]

WNBA
Long Sheet


Thursday, July 7


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

MINNESOTA (15 - 3) at CONNECTICUT (4 - 13) - 7/7/2016, 7:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
MINNESOTA is 12-29 ATS (-19.9 Units) after playing 3 consecutive home games since 1997.
CONNECTICUT is 16-6 ATS (+9.4 Units) against Western conference opponents over the last 2 seasons.
CONNECTICUT is 16-6 ATS (+9.4 Units) in non-conference games over the last 2 seasons.


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


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------








WNBA

Thursday, July 7


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trend Report
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


7:00 PM
MINNESOTA vs. CONNECTICUT
Minnesota is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games
Minnesota is 16-3 SU in its last 19 games
Connecticut is 3-12 SU in its last 15 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Connecticut's last 6 games


--------------------------


WNBA
Dunkel


Thursday, July 7




Minnesota @ Connecticut


Game 601-602
July 7, 2016 @ 7:00 pm


Dunkel Rating:
Minnesota
123.875
Connecticut
109.022
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Minnesota
by 15
156
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Minnesota
by 11 1/2
162
Dunkel Pick:
Minnesota
(-11 1/2); Under

 

[CNOTES]

Preview: Lynx (15-3) at Sun (4-13)
Date: July 07, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

The Minnesota Lynx have one of the best offenses in the WNBA, but their success starts on defense.


Minnesota (15-3) has the second-best scoring defense in the league and also holds opponents to the second-lowest shooting percentage. After limiting Chicago to 39.1 percent shooting in a victory Tuesday, the Lynx take aim Thursday night at the Eastern Conference cellar-dwelling Connecticut Sun (4-13).


"We just told our team that we are 78-1 when we hold our opponents below 40 percent," Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve said in Tuesday's postgame press conference. "That is how we win. That will always be the case with this group. That is where it starts and ends."


Minnesota, which got off to a WNBA-record 13-0 start, lost three in a row before winning its past two games.


The Lynx allowed an average of 92 points during their losing streak and failed to hold any of those three foes under 40 percent shooting. For the season, they allow 75.2 points and 41.6 percent shooting.


Minnesota and Connecticut are meeting for the first time this season.


The Sun are coming off their most impressive win of the season, an 86-83 triumph at Dallas on Saturday. Their other victories have come against San Antonio (twice) and Seattle, teams out of the playoff picture if the season ended today.


Connecticut is ninth in scoring at 80.3 points per game. Guard Alex Bentley averages a team-best 14.4 points per contest. Forward Alyssa Thomas averages 10.6 and guard Jasmine Thomas is at 10.2.


The Lynx, who average 83.3 points, are led by forward Maya Moore at 19.3 points and 4.3 assists per game. She scored 33 in the 87-82 win over Chicago, and her second-half defense on Sky star Elena Delle Donne was key. Delle Donne, the reigning league MVP, scored 38, but had just 13 after halftime when Moore got the defensive assignment.


"When Maya had a chance to guard her, it really got Maya going," Reeve said.


Minnesota has balance behind Moore. Center Sylvia Fowles averages 13.8 points and 8.1 rebounds per game, shooting 58.7 percent. Guard Seimone Augustus averages 10.2 points. Guard Lindsay Whalen averages 8.6 points, 3.5 assists and shoots 37.5 percent from 3-point range.

WNBA HEAD TO HEAD


Jul 22, 2015 Score ATS Results
CONN « 78 Cover: 9.5
MIN 77 Over: 155
Tools: Recaps


Jul 14, 2015 Score ATS Results
MIN « 85 Over: 164
CONN 79 Cover: 0.5
Tools: Recaps

 

[CNOTES]

7/6 - Tuesday's Results: 5 - 1


July's Total: 14 - 14 50.00%


Overall : WLT PCT UNITS RANK


ATS Picks 48-44-3 52.17% -200


O/U Picks 50-45-0 52.63% +250






THURSDAY, JULY 7


GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS


MIN at CONN 07:00 PM

CONN +11.5


U 162.5

 

[CNOTES]

Standings

EASTERN CONFERENCE


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


New York Liberty 13 6 0.684 0 5-4 8-2 6-1 8-2 W-1


Atlanta Dream 9 9 0.500 3 5-4 4-5 6-4 3-7 W-1


Washington Mystics 9 10 0.474 4 4-6 5-4 5-4 6-4 L-2


Chicago Sky 7 10 0.412 5 4-3 3-7 5-4 4-6 L-1


Indiana Fever 7 11 0.389 5 3-5 4-6 3-5 3-7 L-2


Connecticut Sun 4 13 0.235 8 2-6 2-7 0-7 3-7 W-1





WESTERN CONFERENCE


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


Los Angeles Sparks 17 1 0.944 0 10-1 7-0 7-1 9-1 W-6


Minnesota Lynx 15 3 0.833 2 7-2 8-1 8-1 7-3 W-2


Dallas Wings 9 10 0.474 8 5-6 4-4 7-3 6-4 W-1


Phoenix Mercury 8 11 0.421 9 5-4 3-7 1-9 5-5 L-1


Seattle Storm 6 12 0.333 11 4-5 2-7 2-6 3-7 L-3


San Antonio Stars 5 13 0.278 12 4-5 1-8 1-6 4-6 W-1



Updated Thu Jul 7 11:06 AM EDT

 

[CNOTES]

Sun shock Lynx in OT as home 'dogs
July 7, 2016


UNCASVILLE, Conn. (AP) Alex Bentley made three 3-pointers in the final 2 minutes of regulation and scored seven points in overtime to help the Connecticut Sun rally past Minnesota 93-89 on Thursday night, overcoming Maya Moore's 40 points for the Lynx.


Minnesota was ahead 77-66 with 1:59 left in regulation, but Bentley made three 3s on four Connecticut possessions to pull to 79-77. After a Minnesota turnover, Chiney Ogwumike went coast-to-coast for a layup to tie it and Lindsay Whalen missed a layup at the buzzer.


The Sun closed regulation on a 13-4 run.


In overtime, Camille Little hit a 3-pointer and had a steal on the other, leading to Jonquel Jones' baseline jumper for a 91-87 Connecticut lead. Moore made two free throws to get Minnesota to 91-89 with 31.9 seconds left and had a steal on Connecticut's next possession. After a timeout, Moore was whistled for an offensive foul and Bentley made two free throws for a two-possession lead.


Bentley finished with 24 points for Connecticut (5-13), which is ranked 11th in the AP power poll. Ogwumike added 21 points.


Moore was just 1 of 9 from the floor for two points in the first half, but she had 15 points in the third quarter and 16 points in the fourth for second-ranked Minnesota (15-4). She made 13 of 27 shots for her third career 40-plus scoring game.


Whalen scored four quick points in the first quarter to become the 15th player in WNBA history to reach 5,000 points. She's the first player in the league to have 5,000 points, 2,000 assists and 1,500 rebounds.

 

[CNOTES]

Armadillo: Friday's six-pack


-- Mets TV guy Gary Cohen openly insinuated last night that the baseballs that are being used this year are juiced, so more home runs get hit.


-- San Diego Padres are 15-10 vs lefty starters, 23-38 vs righties this year.


-- QB Jarrett Stidham is leaving Baylor; he was supposed to be QB of the future for the Bears, who've lost a lot of players since the school changed coaches.


-- Cavaliers got a trade exception and the rights to a foreign guy who will probably never play in the NBA in a deal with Milwaukee for Matthew Dellavedova.


-- Aledmys Diaz replaces Cardinal teammate Matt Carpenter on NL All-Star team


-- Paul Goldschmidt doesn't do social media, but he started a Twitter account to help get Jake Lamb elected to the All-Star Game. Thats a good teammate.


**********

Armadillo: Friday's List of 13: Random stuff with weekend here......


13) The spending spree that took place in the NBA over the last week has lowered the projections for next year's salary cap, from $107M to $102M.


12) Next summer will be a circus in the NBA; Curry-Westbrook-Griffin-Millsap-Paul-James-Durant could all be free agents, all at the same time.


11) Michigan Wolverines are paying Arkansas $2M after cancelling a home/home series with the Razorbacks, so they can renew their series with Notre Dame.


10) Over the last five years, SEC teams are 17-8 vs Big 14 teams, 14-10-1 against the spread; SEC squads were favored in 23 of the 25 games-- the exceptions were a . Wisconsin-South Carolina bowl in 2013 and a Michigan-Miami bowl game last year.


9) Ohio State has only six starters back this year, three on both sides of the ball.


8) Tennessee-Virginia Tech are playing a game at Bristol Motor Speedway on Sept 10; are expecting to draw a huge crowd. Unusual place for a football game.


7) UNLV's baseball team got a big boost; Greg Maddux is their new pitching coach- his son Chase is on the team. Nothing like having one of the best pitchers ever as one of your coaches- their recruiting should spike dramatically.


6) Enjoy watching family/friend reactions when young people make their MLB debuts; Thursday it was Tyler Glasnow making his debut in St Louis.


5) Clayton KershawDallas Keuchel led MLB with 232.2 IP last year; last pitcher to throw 250+ innings was Justin Verlander, five years ago.


4) From 1976-78, Jim Palmer threw 315-319-296 innings; last guy to throw 300+ innings in one season was Steve Carlton (304) in 1980.


3) Dick Enberg told a story on the Padre-Dodger game last night, about how the red numbers on the front of Dodger uniforms came to be.


When TV first was invented, in 1951, Dodgers decided the numbers on the front of their uniforms should be red, so they would show up better on TV. 65 years later, they are still red. Never heard that story until last night.


2) As if our Presidential race couldn't get any more hideous, there are commercials on Root Sports (Pirates-Rockies-Mariners games) supporting a Presidential candidate, all paid for by the NRA. Going to be very difficult for me to vote for either side in this year's elections-- we simply do not have an acceptable option, in my opinion. .


1) I'll be at the adidas Uprising tournament in Las Vegas in two weeks; am hoping the young man with best name in the country-- Immanuel Quickley will be there. Is there a better last name for a point guard than Quickley?

 

[CNOTES]

WNBA


Friday, July 8


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trend Report
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


7:30 PM
DALLAS vs. ATLANTA
Dallas is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games
Dallas is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing Atlanta
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Atlanta's last 7 games at home
Atlanta is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games at home


8:30 PM
NEW YORK vs. CHICAGO
New York is 9-2 SU in its last 11 games
New York is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Chicago
Chicago is 11-4 SU in its last 15 games when playing New York
Chicago is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing New York


9:00 PM
SEATTLE vs. SAN ANTONIO
Seattle is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games on the road
Seattle is 3-20 SU in its last 23 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 5 of San Antonio's last 6 games when playing at home against Seattle
San Antonio is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing Seattle


10:00 PM
INDIANA vs. PHOENIX
Indiana is 3-7 SU in its last 10 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Indiana's last 5 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Phoenix's last 7 games at home
Phoenix is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games

 

[CNOTES]

WNBA
Long Sheet


Friday, July 8


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


DALLAS (9 - 10) at ATLANTA (9 - 9) - 7/8/2016, 7:30 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.


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


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


NEW YORK (13 - 6) at CHICAGO (7 - 10) - 7/8/2016, 8:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
NEW YORK is 34-23 ATS (+8.7 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
NEW YORK is 14-5 ATS (+8.5 Units) as an underdog over the last 2 seasons.
NEW YORK is 21-6 ATS (+14.4 Units) in road games over the last 2 seasons.
NEW YORK is 13-5 ATS (+7.5 Units) in road games in May, June, or July games over the last 2 seasons.
NEW YORK is 43-26 ATS (+14.4 Units) in road games on Friday since 1997.
NEW YORK is 13-3 ATS (+9.7 Units) in road games vs. division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
NEW YORK is 16-5 ATS (+10.5 Units) in road games after scoring 75 points or more over the last 2 seasons.
NEW YORK is 8-1 ATS (+6.9 Units) in road games versus poor defensive teams - allowing 77+ points/game over the last 2 seasons.
CHICAGO is 5-14 ATS (-10.4 Units) after a non-conference game over the last 2 seasons.
CHICAGO is 12-22 ATS (-12.2 Units) after allowing 75 points or more over the last 2 seasons.
CHICAGO is 14-25 ATS (-13.5 Units) after scoring 75 points or more over the last 2 seasons.


Head-to-Head Series History
CHICAGO is 6-3 against the spread versus NEW YORK over the last 3 seasons
CHICAGO is 5-4 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


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SEATTLE (6 - 12) at SAN ANTONIO (5 - 13) - 7/8/2016, 9:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
SEATTLE is 9-22 ATS (-15.2 Units) in road games after 3 or more consecutive unders since 1997.
SEATTLE is 39-22 ATS (+14.8 Units) after 3 or more consecutive losses since 1997.
SAN ANTONIO is 14-31 ATS (-20.1 Units) in home games off an upset win as an underdog since 1997.
SAN ANTONIO is 39-62 ATS (-29.2 Units) in home games after scoring 75 points or more since 1997.


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


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


INDIANA (7 - 11) at PHOENIX (8 - 11) - 7/8/2016, 10:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
INDIANA is 33-19 ATS (+12.1 Units) in road games over the last 3 seasons.
INDIANA is 22-10 ATS (+11.0 Units) in a road game where where the total is greater than or equal to 150 over the last 3 seasons.
INDIANA is 15-5 ATS (+9.5 Units) in road games against Western conference opponents over the last 3 seasons.
INDIANA is 15-5 ATS (+9.5 Units) in road games in non-conference games over the last 3 seasons.
INDIANA is 18-8 ATS (+9.2 Units) in road games after allowing 75 points or more over the last 3 seasons.
INDIANA is 15-6 ATS (+8.4 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 3 seasons.
INDIANA is 11-3 ATS (+7.7 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a losing record after 15+ games after 15+ games over the last 3 seasons.
PHOENIX is 21-34 ATS (-16.4 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
PHOENIX is 13-26 ATS (-15.6 Units) as a favorite over the last 2 seasons.
PHOENIX is 6-15 ATS (-10.5 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent over the last 2 seasons.
PHOENIX is 2-8 ATS (-6.8 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record this season.
PHOENIX is 8-17 ATS (-10.7 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 77+ points/game over the last 2 seasons.
PHOENIX is 23-39 ATS (-19.9 Units) in home games versus good offensive teams - scoring 77+ points/game after 15+ games since 1997.


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

 

[CNOTES]

Preview: Wings (9-10) at Dream (9-9)
Date: July 08, 2016 7:30 PM EDT

The Atlanta Dream are looking to return to the form that had them atop the Eastern Conference for much of the early part of the season, when the Dallas Wings visit Philips Arena on Friday.


The Dream used a fourth-quarter surge to beat the Seattle Storm on Tuesday and snap a season-long six-game losing streak that sent Atlanta tumbling down the standings.


Atlanta outscored the Storm 25-10 in the fourth to close out the Storm. Forward Sancho Lyttle had 22 points and 11 rebounds in the Dream's first win since June 17.


"It's about us establishing our game all over again," Atlanta coach Michael Cooper said after Tuesday's win. "We kind of went back to the drawing board a bit. These ladies are professionals. They have a love for playing for the Atlanta Dream, they love this city, they love our owners. I just challenged them and tested them on that and said 'you're here to play for something'. And I think we did a good job coming out and playing for the city."


The Wings (9-10) are coming off a 77-74 win over the Phoenix Mercury on Tuesday. Dallas is the second highest-scoring teams in the league and plays an up-tempo brand of basketball. But the Wings have struggled on the defensive end of the floor, surrendering 86.8 points per game.


Guard Odyssey Sims leads five Dallas players averaging double figures at 15.3 points per game. Forward Glory Johnson had 23 points and 22 rebounds in the win over Phoenix and will need to have another big game inside to combat Atlanta's frontcourt of Elizabeth Williams and Lyttle.


Williams and Lyttle combined for 23 points and 15 rebounds in Atlanta's 102-93 road win over Dallas on May 27. Dream leading scorer Angel McCoutry had 26 points in the win over the Wings. Atlanta shot 52.5 percent from the floor.


The Dream won four of the last five meetings between the two franchises.


The Wings are in their first season in Texas. The franchise relocated to Dallas from Tulsa this season.

 

[CNOTES]

Preview: Liberty (13-6) at Sky (7-10)
Date: July 08, 2016 8:30 PM EDT

The two most prolific scorers in the WNBA collide Friday night, when reigning MVP Elena Delle Donne and the Chicago Sky host Tina Charles and the first-place New York Liberty at Allstate Arena.


Charles leads the league in scoring at 22.8 points and is second in rebounding at 9.6 per game. She was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Month for June. It's the second straight month Charles has won the honor, and third time in last four months.


Delle Donne is second in the WNBA in scoring, behind Charles, averaging 21.4 points per game. Delle Donne is coming off a season-high 38-point performance in a loss to the Minnesota Lynx on Tuesday. She scored 25 points in the first half and hit 10 consecutive shots during one stretch of the game.


The Sky lost six of eight overall, including an 80-79 loss to the Liberty on June 24. Delle Donne had 31 points in the loss. Charles had 21 points for New York in the win.


Neither team's star is receiving a lot of help from their supporting cast. Veteran guard Cappie Pondexter (12.5 points per game) is the only other Sky player averaging double figures in points, alongside Delle Donne. New York's Sugar Rodgers is the only other Liberty player averaging double figures (16.1 points per game), alongside Charles.


The Liberty (13-6) have won three of four and are coming off a 78-74 win over the Seattle Storm on Wednesday. They have won nine of 11 overall to climb into first-place in the Eastern Conference, 3.5 games ahead of second place Atlanta.


The win over the Seattle was New York coach Bill Laimbeer's 199th career win. He's looking to become the sixth WNBA coach to reach 200 wins for his career.


New York boasts the third best record in the WNBA, behind only the Los Angeles Sparks and defending-champion Minnesota. The top eight teams regardless of conference will make the playoffs this season.


The Liberty have won four of the past five meetings with the Sky.




WNBA HEAD TO HEAD


Jun 24, 2016 Score ATS Results
CHI 79 Cover: 4
NEW « 80 Under: 159
Tools: Recaps


Sep 3, 2015 Score ATS Results
CHI « 82 Cover: 28
NEW 60 Under: 142
Tools: Recaps


Aug 11, 2015 Score ATS Results
CHI 63 Under: 147
NEW « 84 Cover: 14.5
Tools: Recaps


Aug 7, 2015 Score ATS Results
NEW « 77 Cover: 18.5
CHI 63 Under: 140
Tools: Recaps


Jun 30, 2015 Score ATS Results
NEW « 89 Cover: 13.5
CHI 81 Over: 170
Tools: Recaps

 

[CNOTES]

Preview: Storm (6-12) at Stars (5-13)
Date: July 08, 2016 9:00 PM EDT

The San Antonio Stars are focused on accentuating the positive despite languishing at the bottom of the WNBA pack for most of the season.


That positivity was put to the test on Wednesday when the Stars beat the Washington Mystics 77-70 in San Antonio's first game without star guard Kayla McBride, who was lost for the rest of the campaign to a fractured right foot.


Now the Stars will turn their attention toward building a winning streak. San Antonio hosts the Seattle Storm, a team that they've already defeated this year, on Friday.


The Stars (5-13) have not won consecutive games this season but have captured three of their past five outings.


Instead of wallowing in the loss of McBride, San Antonio used season-high scoring performances from Monique Currie (20 points) and Dearica Hamby (18 points) to surprise the Mystics (9-10).


"Everybody just stepped in up tonight and contributed," Currie said. "We are all capable players and it showed. Losing Kayla gives other people an opportunity. This is a huge confidence booster for us. We might not have won a game like this earlier in the season, but we've grown as a team."


Seattle (6-12) heads to San Antonio for the final game of a three-road trip and after a 78-74 loss at New York on Wednesday. The Storm has dropped their past three contests and is just a game ahead of San Antonio in the Western Conference standings.


Rookie forward Breanna Stewart led Seattle against New York with 24 points and 16 rebounds, recording her second-straight double-double and the seventh in her career. It is the eighth game she has recorded double-digit rebounds in her career.


Seattle shot just 5-of-19 and scored only 11 points in the first quarter, the team's lowest scoring output in the opening period this season.



WNBA HEAD TO HEAD


Jun 14, 2016 Score ATS Results
SEA 70 Under: 147
SA « 77 Cover: 11
Tools: Recaps


Sep 13, 2015 Score ATS Results
SA « 59 Cover: 8.5
SEA 58 Under: 117
Tools: Recaps


Aug 28, 2015 Score ATS Results
SA 69 Over: 152
SEA « 83 Cover: 10
Tools: Recaps


Aug 16, 2015 Score ATS Results
SA 63 Under: 135
SEA « 72 Cover: 6.5
Tools: Recaps


Aug 8, 2015 Score ATS Results
SEA 81 Over: 169
SA « 88 Cover: 2.5
Tools: Recaps


Jun 27, 2015 Score ATS Results
SEA 71 Cover: 3.5
SA « 73 Over: 144
Tools: Recaps

 

[CNOTES]

Preview: Fever (7-11) at Mercury (8-11)
Date: July 08, 2016 10:00 PM EDT

The Phoenix Mercury haven't had a boring July.


Star players Diana Taurasi and Brittney Griner were ejected for arguing with the officials in the third quarter during a loss to New York on July 1.


Griner then posted the sixth triple-double in WNBA history two nights later in a win at Atlanta, going for 27 points, 10 rebounds and 10 blocks.


And, in Tuesday's loss to Dallas, the Mercury allowed Wings forward Glory Johnson to put up the league's only 20-20 game this season -- 23 points, 22 rebounds.


What's going to happen next?


On Friday night, Phoenix (8-11) plays host to Indiana (7-11), which is coming off an interesting game of its own.


The Fever, down 20 points with 6:22 to go at league-leading Los Angeles, rallied within a point with 12.2 seconds left before losing 94-88.


Indiana won the first meeting of the season against the Mercury, 97-93 at home on May 18. Emblematic of Phoenix's slow start and defensive woes, the Fever placed seven players in double-figure scoring.


The Mercury have rebounded somewhat to more resemble the powerhouse team it was expected to be, going 6-5 after a 2-6 start. Some roster reconstruction has included the addition of backup center Kelsey Bone via trade and the signing of backup point guard Lindsey Harding, who is averaging 2.8 assists and 5.2 points in 20.5 minutes per game.


"I thought she would be a great fit for us," said Phoenix coach Sandy Brondello. "She creates the speed that we need. We needed to get a bit more athletic."


Taurasi leads Phoenix with an average of 19.2 points per game while forward DeWanna Bonner is averaging 14.9 points. Griner averages 14.3 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.8 blocks. Guard Penny Taylor (13.3 ppg) has missed the past four games because of a hip contusion.


Phoenix leads the WNBA in scoring at 87.7 points per game but allows a league-high 88.0.


Indiana has a trio of double-digit scorers -- forward Tamika Catchings (13.7), guard Tiffany Mitchell (11.7) and guard Briann January (10.1).


Phoenix is 7-2 against Eastern Conference opponents.




WNBA HEAD TO HEAD


May 18, 2016 Score ATS Results
PHO 93 Over: 190
IND « 97 Cover: 9
Tools: Recaps


Aug 16, 2015 Score ATS Results
IND « 75 Cover: 17.5
PHO 63 Under: 138
Tools: Recaps


Jun 12, 2015 Score ATS Results
PHO 74 Cover: 1
IND « 77 Over: 151
Tools: Recaps

 

[CNOTES]

Standings

EASTERN CONFERENCE


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


New York Liberty 13 6 0.684 0 5-4 8-2 6-1 8-2 W-1


Atlanta Dream 9 9 0.500 3 5-4 4-5 6-4 3-7 W-1


Washington Mystics 9 10 0.474 4 4-6 5-4 5-4 6-4 L-2


Chicago Sky 7 10 0.412 5 4-3 3-7 5-4 4-6 L-1


Indiana Fever 7 11 0.389 5 3-5 4-6 3-5 3-7 L-2


Connecticut Sun 5 13 0.278 7 3-6 2-7 0-7 4-6 W-2





WESTERN CONFERENCE


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


Los Angeles Sparks 17 1 0.944 0 10-1 7-0 7-1 9-1 W-6


Minnesota Lynx 15 4 0.789 2 7-2 8-2 8-1 6-4 L-1


Dallas Wings 9 10 0.474 8 5-6 4-4 7-3 6-4 W-1


Phoenix Mercury 8 11 0.421 9 5-4 3-7 1-9 5-5 L-1


Seattle Storm 6 12 0.333 11 4-5 2-7 2-6 3-7 L-3


San Antonio Stars 5 13 0.278 12 4-5 1-8 1-6 4-6 W-1





Updated Fri Jul 8 11:38 AM EDT

 

[CNOTES]

7/7 - Thursday's Results: 1 - 1


July's Total: 15 - 15 50.00%


Overall : WLT PCT UNITS RANK


ATS Picks 49-44-3 52.69% +300


O/U Picks 50-46-0 52.08% -300



FRIDAY, JULY 8


GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS


DAL at ATL 07:30 PM

DAL +3.0


O 171.0




NY at CHI 08:30 PM

CHI -1.5


U 164.5




SEA at SA 09:00 PM

SA +3.5


O 150.0




IND at PHO 10:00 PM


IND +6.5


U 172.0

 

[CNOTES]

Armadillo: Saturday's six-pack


-- A woman in New Jersey found a lottery ticket worth $470,000 while getting ready to do her taxes.


-- 75-year old Larry Brown resigned as basketball coach at SMU. Tim Jankovich is the Mustangs' new coach. SMU is on probation for two more years.


-- Matt Harvey is having season-ending surgery on his shoulder.


-- Red Sox acquired 2B/3B Aaron Hill, adding a righthanded bat for their infield.


-- Looks like the 2017 NFL Draft will take place in Philadelphia.


-- Apparently Thomas Jefferson is responsible for bringing macaroni and cheese to this country, after visiting France.


**********


Armadillo: Saturday's List of 13: Thoughts on a sad day.......


I don't feel like writing today, but I will because it is what I do. This probably won't be that well-written or that well-organized, but these are my thoughts on a cruddy day.


This has been a dismal week for America; we can't lean on the crutch of blaming other countries or religions-- we did this to ourselves.


Seven people dead; five in Dallas, one in Louisiana, one in Minnesota; why? We need to be better people, better employees, more respectful of disparate cultures. America is a melting pot and always has been; we have to make sure the pot doesn't boil over.


We have to do better as a country-- we need to be more tolerant of each other, need to be nicer to each other and no, being nice is not a sign of weakness.


We need leaders who will earn people's respect; seen many of those lately?


We need to worry less about the Middle East and more about America- we neglected this country, in trying to be the policeman for the entire world. No more.


Turns out the shooter in Dallas was an Army veteran, making things even worse.


There need to be less weapons in this country, no matter what the NRA says.


Social media and cameras in phones have outpaced traditional journalism in letting the world see what is going on. The news gets out faster, reactions are faster, and often these reactions are explosive and dangerous. There is less careful thought now.


Being a policeman is a difficult job, an important job, often a thankless job; it needs to be done well, so there is respect between the police and the people they protect.


Shootings are becoming so common that we're getting desensitized to them; just one more special report on CNN. How do you fix that? I do not have an answer.


All I can offer is this:
-- Talk to people. Listen to people. Get along with people. Be nice!!!!
-- Tolerate differing opinions and lifestyles. It is OK to disagree.
-- Respect authority; the police are hired to protect us.
-- We're lucky to live in a free country; lets not abuse the privilege.

 

[CNOTES]

WNBA
Long Sheet


Saturday, July 9


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


DALLAS (9 - 10) at MINNESOTA (15 - 4) - 7/9/2016, 8:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
MINNESOTA is 1-8 ATS (-7.8 Units) as a home favorite of 9.5 to 12 points over the last 3 seasons.


Head-to-Head Series History
MINNESOTA is 7-3 against the spread versus DALLAS over the last 3 seasons
MINNESOTA is 9-1 straight up against DALLAS over the last 3 seasons
5 of 10 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------








WNBA


Saturday, July 9


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trend Report
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


8:00 PM
DALLAS vs. MINNESOTA
The total has gone OVER in 14 of Dallas's last 18 games
Dallas is 7-16 SU in its last 23 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Minnesota's last 6 games at home
Minnesota is 9-2 SU in its last 11 games at home




WNBA
Dunkel


Saturday, July 9




Dallas @ Minnesota


Game 601-602
July 9, 2016 @ 8:00 pm


Dunkel Rating:
Dallas
107.630
Minnesota
114.835
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Minnesota
by 7
162
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Minnesota
by 10 1/2
168
Dunkel Pick:
Dallas
(+10 1/2); Under