2016 wnba thread news notes picks !

CNOTES · May 21, 2016

Armadillo: Saturday's six-pack

Golden Nugget sportsbook's college football over/unders for this coming fall..........

-- Houston Cougars 9, under -$150

-- Notre Dame Fighting Irish 9, under -$125

-- Ohio State Buckeyes, 8.5, over -$115

-- Tennessee Volunteers, 10

-- Baylor Bears 9, under -$125

-- Michigan State Spartans 8.5, under -$130

**********

Armadillo: Saturday's List of 13: College football knowledge, and DDLohaus handicaps the Preakness Stakes........

The Kentucky Derby is behind us and the race really ended as we had expected. Nyquist was all he was said to be; looked great winning the race in a very solid time. The top four favorites covered the top four spots with Exaggerator again the runner up. We couldn't collect on our big bets as Mohaymen could only manage fourth. We did hit the saver exacta but not much joy there....

The Preakness comes quickly and welcomes a host of newcomers trying to not only beat the Derby winner, but launch themselves into the summer spotlight as the racing season continues to crank up. As I sit here in Delaware, the weather forecast for Saturday is BAD; 90% chance of rain all morning into the afternoon and COLD with a high of 57 degrees. The weather forecast certainly requires a bit of restraint in wagering but also introduces a whole other set of variables when handicapping the race.

Nyquist is still the horse to beat. As I've said before, he has done nothing wrong and look really good in the Derby. I am convinced that Exaggerator is as honest as they come and he keeps Nyquist honest. If Nyquist doesn't show up, Exaggerator will turn the tables. These two (Nyquist and Exaggerator) are clear standouts in the 3yr old category so far this year; I just don't see a very deep crop of 3yr olds (yet). The problem is that they are both very short odds AND the weather conditions are sure to make conditions anything but ideal. Talent alone, these two run 1-2 but I challenge anyone to say, for sure, how they will respond to adverse conditions on Saturday.

As is customary, I will throw out a wildcard for you to consider. This runner may be worth a small wager and given the expected weather and track conditions is not a complete reach. Abiding Star is on a bit of a hot streak coming into the Preakness. He has won five in a row and has had success over wet tracks. He will likely be close to the front if not on the lead and may not look back. Distance is a concern and he may be a notch below many in here but horses do get brave sometimes and if he finds himself in front turning for home, the track is heavy and tiring, and the others don't fire their best he may shock at a big price and he would be a nice play underneath the two favorites.

Selections:
Nyquist: Deserving favorite and a notch better than the rest (just cant bet a 3/5 in adverse conditions)
Exaggerator: Honest, hard knocker capable of winning if top one doesn't fire his best (just cant bet a horse that has lost 4 times to top one and short odds)
Abiding Star: Longshot being tested for class and distance but may get brave on the front end and has handled off tracks.

The Bets:
$5WPS Abiding Star
$5EXBX Abiding Star/Nyquist/Exaggerator
$2TRIBX Abiding Star/Nyquist/Exagerator

Total Bets: $57.00

College football knowledge..........
13) LSU's new defensive coordinator last worked at Wisconsin; Tigers, who have 18 starters back, open the season Sept 3 against the Badgers at Lambeau Field.

12) USC plays Alabama, Stanford, Utah in September, none of them at home.

11) Urban Meyer has a 154-27 record, 50-4 at Ohio State; his defensvie coordinator this year is former Rutgers/Bucs coach Greg Schiano.

10) Texas A&M recruited only two of the top 20 recruits from the Lone Star State this year- they're on their fourth offensive coordinator in the last five years. Aggies are 16-10 overall the last two years, 17-15 in conference play the last four years.

9) Contrast that to Oklahoma State, which is 27-12 the last three years; their OC is in his fourth season in Stillwater, their DC is in his sixth season. Continuity helps.

8) UCLA's freshman kicker JJ Molson is the grandson of Montreal Canadiens' owner, beer magnate Geoff Molson; wonder if they'll be selling Molson beer at the Rose Bowl this year. Having a freshman kicker can drive you to drink.

7) Michigan State is 36-5 the last three years, but lost top two WRs and their QB who started for three years. Spartans play Notre Dame/Wisconsin on back/back early on in season. Mark D'Antonio is 7-2 against rival Michigan.

6) Tennessee hasn't won SEC East since 2007; they haven't won the SEC since '98, the year after Peyton Manning left. Vols' over/under win total in Las Vegas this year is 10, so with 18 starters back, Butch Davis' team has high expectations.

5) Mack Brown was 25-14 his last three years at Texas; Charlie Strong is 11-14 his first two years in Austin. Longhorns gave up 30.3 ppg last year.

4) Florida State is 49-6 the last four years; only one of their four September games is at home. RB Dalvin Cook won SEC rushing title by 164 yards LY.

3) Oregon went 9-4 LY, after going 48-5 the four years before that; they lost their bowl game after leading 31-0 at the half. Once again, the Ducks' QB will be a transfer from a I-AA school, this time Dakota Prukop from Montana State.

2) Ole Miss has its first-ever two-game winning streak over Alabama, which is hard to believe. Rebels play Florida State, Alabama and Georgia, all in September. Oy.

1) Michigan is 2-14 against Ohio State/Michigan State the last eight years.

CNOTES · May 21, 2016

WNBA

Saturday, May 21

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Trend Report
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6:00 PM
LOS ANGELES vs. NEW YORK
Los Angeles is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against New York
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Los Angeles's last 5 games
New York is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Los Angeles
New York is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games

7:00 PM
WASHINGTON vs. CONNECTICUT
Washington is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 11 of Washington's last 16 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Connecticut's last 8 games
Connecticut is 5-11 ATS in its last 16 games when playing Washington

8:30 PM
SAN ANTONIO vs. DALLAS
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of San Antonio's last 5 games
San Antonio is 1-3-2 ATS in its last 6 games
Dallas is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against San Antonio
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Dallas's last 7 games when playing at home against San Antonio

CNOTES · May 21, 2016

WNBA
Long Sheet

Saturday, May 21

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LOS ANGELES (15 - 22) at NEW YORK (26 - 14) - 5/21/2016, 6:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
LOS ANGELES is 81-110 ATS (-40.0 Units) after a win by 10 points or more since 1997.
LOS ANGELES is 154-194 ATS (-59.4 Units) after scoring 75 points or more since 1997.
NEW YORK is 27-14 ATS (+11.6 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
NEW YORK is 14-5 ATS (+8.5 Units) in May, June, or July games over the last 2 seasons.
NEW YORK is 10-2 ATS (+7.8 Units) against Western conference opponents over the last 2 seasons.
NEW YORK is 10-2 ATS (+7.8 Units) in non-conference games over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
NEW YORK is 3-1 against the spread versus LOS ANGELES over the last 3 seasons
NEW YORK is 3-1 straight up against LOS ANGELES 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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WASHINGTON (19 - 18) at CONNECTICUT (15 - 19) - 5/21/2016, 7:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
WASHINGTON is 279-337 ATS (-91.7 Units) in all games since 1997.
WASHINGTON is 176-221 ATS (-67.1 Units) vs. division opponents since 1997.
WASHINGTON is 13-4 ATS (+8.6 Units) as a road underdog of 3.5 to 6 points over the last 3 seasons.
CONNECTICUT is 1-8 ATS (-7.8 Units) in home games after a non-conference game over the last 3 seasons.

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

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SAN ANTONIO (8 - 26) at DALLAS (18 - 18) - 5/21/2016, 8:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
SAN ANTONIO is 6-0 ATS (+6.0 Units) as a road underdog of 9.5 to 12 points over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
DALLAS is 7-1 against the spread versus SAN ANTONIO over the last 3 seasons
DALLAS is 5-4 straight up against SAN ANTONIO over the last 3 seasons
5 of 9 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

CNOTES · May 21, 2016

NBA
Dunkel

Saturday, May 21

Cleveland @ Toronto

Game 709-710
May 21, 2016 @ 8:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Cleveland
132.452
Toronto
124.629
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Cleveland
by 8
194
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Cleveland
by 5 1/2
198 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Cleveland
(-5 1/2); Under

CNOTES · May 21, 2016

Preview: Sparks (2-0) at Liberty (2-0)
Date: May 21, 2016 6:00 PM EDT

The New York Liberty have not opened a season with three straight wins in almost a decade.

It's been even longer since the Los Angeles Sparks accomplished that feat.

Both have the chance to do so Saturday night when the Liberty try for their first four-game winning streak over the visiting Sparks.

Paced by star Tina Charles and fourth-year guard Sugar Rodgers, New York is aiming to go 3-0 for the first time since beginning the 2007 season with five consecutive victories.

"We're just playing hard," Charles said. "It's just hard work you're seeing. We know our roles. It's great."

Charles and Rodgers have combined for 91 of New York's 166 points, and both scored 24 in Sunday's 79-71 victory over Dallas. Charles pulled down 11 rebounds for a second straight contest to record her 111th double-double in her 200th game.

Rodgers, who never averaged more than 8.1 points in her first three seasons, has gone 9 of 16 from 3-point range. She led the Liberty with 41 3-pointers in 2015.

"I'm not surprised, I knew I was capable of doing this it was just about the opportunity," Rodgers told the WNBA's official website. "I have the opportunity now, and I'm just taking advantage of it.

"I go hard at practice, sprinting the floor. Just always in game mode."

Rodgers scored a then career-high 23 points in a 79-70 home win over Los Angeles on June 28.

New York took both 2015 meetings to sweep the season series for the first time since 2010. However, the Liberty didn't have to deal with Candace Parker in either matchup.

Parker will likely go head-to-head with Charles, who scored 20 when the pair last squared off during the Sparks' most recent win in the series, 68-54 at Madison Square Garden on July 11, 2014. Parker had 14 points in that contest.

"L.A. presents some tough matchups," New York coach Bill Laimbeer said. "Candace Parker is hard to matchup in herself."

Looking to open with three straight victories for the first time since going 9-0 in 2003, the Sparks totaled 193 points while winning each of the first two by 30.

Kristi Toliver went 5 of 6 from beyond the arc to finish with 19 points in Friday's 97-67 rout of Washington. Parker, who opened with 34 points against Seattle last week, scored eight but added nine rebounds and six assists.

CNOTES · May 21, 2016

Preview: Mystics (0-3) at Sun (1-1)
Date: May 21, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

The Washington Mystics are off to their worst start in nearly a decade.

They'll try a fourth time to earn their first victory in this initial road contest Saturday night against the Connecticut Sun.

With veteran guard Ivory Latta (knee) yet to play and Tierra Ruffin-Pratt and Ally Malott both easing their way back into form from early injuries, Washington (0-3) has struggled to be competitive out of the gate. After dropping the first two by a combined 21 points, the Mystics committed 21 turnovers and allowed Los Angeles to shoot 56.1 percent in Friday's 97-67 defeat.

Washington lost its first eight in 2007.

"It's trying to find five people together right now who are playing well at both ends of the court and we're searching a little bit," Washington coach Mike Thibault told the WNBA's official website.

Tayler Hill tied a career high with 20 points each in the first two games, but went 2 of 9 from the field to finish with eight Friday. Emma Meesseman had 13 points with 11 rebounds.

Though Hill struggled Friday, Thibault expects the fourth-year guard to play more to form of those first two games.

"Confidence and doing work, players feel that way when they have put in the work to be good," he said. "She put in the time during the offseason to be a better player. And it shows."

After totaling 17 points in Washington's first three games against Connecticut in 2015, Hill set her career high with 20 on 7-of-10 shooting off the bench in an 84-73 win Aug. 9.

The Mystics went 3-1 last season against the Sun (1-1), who open the home portion of their schedule following Thursday's 72-68 victory at San Antonio.

Despite shooting 41.8 percent and scoring only two points in the first four-plus minutes of the fourth quarter, the Sun prevailed by scoring on three consecutive possessions in the final period. Camille Little scored a team-high 13 in 24 minutes off the bench while Kelsey Bone had 12 points and 10 rebounds.

"I loved our fight," coach Curt Miller, whose squad regrouped nicely from a 23-point loss at Chicago, told the Sun's official website. "I like the way that we finished."

Bone averaged 16.8 points in the four games with Washington last season.

CNOTES · May 21, 2016

Preview: Stars (0-2) at Wings (2-1)
Date: May 21, 2016 8:30 PM EDT

The WNBA has a major part of its history in the state of Texas with the now-defunct Houston Comets winning the first four titles and the San Antonio Stars coming into existence after moving from Utah in 2003.

Now the Dallas/Fort Worth area is finally getting a chance to experience all the excitement the league has to offer.

The Dallas Wings are off to a strong start and play their first home game Saturday night as they seek to drop the Stars to 0-3.

Dallas (2-1) is the third reincarnation of the franchise that began as the Detroit Shock and moved to Tulsa before the current move to Texas. The franchise is expected to flourish with one of the league's most marketable stars in Skylar Diggins and a region teeming with outstanding girls' basketball that produced current San Antonio rookie Moriah Jefferson, the second overall pick out of the University of Connecticut.

The Wings enjoyed a successful three-game trip to start the season despite playing without Diggins, who is recovering from ACL surgery. Her status for Saturday is not known.

Odyssey Sims scored 22 points and Erin Phillips added 16 in Wednesday's 87-77 victory at Washington.

"I thought tonight was a good challenge for us," coach Fred Williams told the club's official website. "Very pleased how the young ladies stepped up on this road trip."

Sims, averaging a team-high 16.7 points, is another local product who starred at MacArthur High School in nearby Irving.

She had a stellar prep career as did Jefferson, who was born in Dallas and played her high school basketball under unusual circumstances since she was home schooled. Jefferson became the first Texas recruit to play at UConn for legendary coach Geno Auriemma.

Jefferson has totaled 15 points on 5-of-17 shooting while making the adjustment to the next level. She and the Stars are still seeking their first victory after falling 72-68 to Connecticut on Thursday.

Dearica Hamby scored 16 points to lead San Antonio, ranked 12th in the AP WNBA power poll.

The Wings are ranked seventh. They won three of four meetings last season from San Antonio as the Shock.

CNOTES · May 22, 2016

Armadillo: Sunday's six-pack

Six of the my favorite baseball announce teams to listen to on the baseball package

-- Brian Anderson/Bill Schroeder, Brewers

-- Victor Rojas/Mark Gubicza, Angels

-- Don Orsillo/Mark Grant, Padres

-- Dick Bremer/Bert Blyleven, Twins

-- Drew Goodman/Jeff Huson or Ryan Spliborghs, Rockies

-- Jason Bennetti/Steve Stone, White Sox

Other analysts I think are very good: Ron Darling (Mets), Bob Brenly (Arizona) and Ray Fosse (A's). Not that fond of their play-by-play partners, though.

**********

Armadillo: Sunday's List of 13: Wrapping up a sports Saturday.......

13) Milwaukee Brewer TV announcers were telling a story about last July 31, when the Mets/Brewers almost made a trade at the deadline. Milwaukee brass told Carlos Gomez he had been traded to the Mets, he was shaking hands with teammates, saying his goodbyes but then the trade fell through.

12) Mets wound up trading for Yoenis Cespedes instead, which worked out really well for them, as they got to the World Series. Gomez wound up getting dealt to the Astros, where he has struggled greatly.

11) As far as baseball eliminating the four pitches for the intentional walk, last year in the major leagues there were 951 intentional walks in 2,430 games, so eliminating those four pitches isn't going to be a huge time-saver.

10) Ichiro Suzuki had his 253rd game with 3+ hits last night, most amongst active players. Ichiro now has 2,954 hits in his 16 big league seasons.

9) I've got no idea why, but people in Chicago do not like ketchup on hot dogs. White Sox announcers were discussing this the other night and back in 2003, a friend of mine actually got mad at me for asking for ketchup at a Chicago hot dog stand.

I dislike mustard and relish but if I knew the ketchup was going to cause a problem, I would've eaten the weiner plain.

8) A batter who hits a sacrifice fly isn't charged with an at-bat, but a batter who knocks in a run with a ground out is-- why is this? Whats the difference?

7) Marlins 3, Nationals 2-- Washington had bases loaded, no one out in ninth inning but couldn't tie game. Miami is now 3.5 games behind Washington in NL East.

6) Jim Baron is retiring as basketball coach at Canisius at age 62; he has been a very good coach at a number of places: Canisius, St Bonaventure, URI, St Francis, PA.

Few years ago, I was sitting in front of coach Baron at an AAU tournament here in Albany- his son was playing. It was a close game against a local team, and at the end of the game, the hometown refs gave the local team a couple calls and they won.

Coach Baron had been pretty low-key during the game but when his son's team got hosed at the end and lost, he was steamed and he went after the offending ref to give him a piece of his mind. He did quickly and fairly quietly but believe me, the guy who made the calls deserved to get ripped.

Anyway, good luck in retirement coach. Canisius will miss you. .

5) 164 undergraduates declared for this year's NBA Draft; many have returned to college, but there are only 60 picks in the draft, so add in seniors and kids from other countries and a lot of kids are going to wind up very disappointed.

4) Toronto's Bismack Biyombo is going to make a fortune as a free agent this summer and when he does, remember this: last night in Game 3 against Cleveland, Biyombo had 15 rebounds before he took his first shot of the game. Guys like that are worth their weight in gold, if you want to have a winning team.

3) Jack McDowell threw 10+ complete games three years in a row, the last pitcher to do that and that was back in 1991-93. Will probably never happen again.

2) Major league baseball wants more balls in play; approximately 30% of plate appearances are ending in walks/strikeouts. Baseball's head honchos want more action, so they're going to raise the strike zone some, hoping it'll result in more balls put in play, which makes the game more interesting. We'll see how that goes.

1) RIP Alan Young 96, the actor who played Wilbur Post on the classic TV show Mr Ed, passed away this week. It is not easy to be a straight man for a talking horse; that was one of my favorite TV shows as a kid. Yes, I said a talking horse, but he only talked to Wilbur, which caused problems with Wilbur's wife Carol.

Just loved Mr Ed, whether he was driving a delivery truck or taking batting practice against Sandy Koufax (yes, Koufax tossed a meatball to a horse, with manager Leo Durocher watching). Spent many hours laughing with this show. RIP, sir.

CNOTES · May 22, 2016

WNBA
Long Sheet

Sunday, May 22

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CHICAGO (22 - 15) at ATLANTA (15 - 19) - 5/22/2016, 3:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
CHICAGO is 2-10 ATS (-9.0 Units) after a non-conference game over the last 2 seasons.
CHICAGO is 16-31 ATS (-18.1 Units) after allowing 75 points or more over the last 3 seasons.
CHICAGO is 8-17 ATS (-10.7 Units) after scoring 75 points or more over the last 2 seasons.
ATLANTA is 20-8 ATS (+11.2 Units) as an underdog over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
CHICAGO is 7-5 against the spread versus ATLANTA over the last 3 seasons
CHICAGO is 8-4 straight up against ATLANTA over the last 3 seasons
8 of 12 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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

MINNESOTA (29 - 15) at SEATTLE (10 - 24) - 5/22/2016, 7:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
MINNESOTA is 1-8 ATS (-7.8 Units) in road games when playing with 3 or more days rest over the last 3 seasons.
SEATTLE is 111-77 ATS (+26.3 Units) in home games vs. division opponents since 1997.
SEATTLE is 33-53 ATS (-25.3 Units) off an upset win as an underdog since 1997.

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

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WNBA

Sunday, May 22

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

3:00 PM
CHICAGO vs. ATLANTA
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Chicago's last 6 games when playing on the road against Atlanta
Chicago is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Atlanta
Atlanta is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing Chicago
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Atlanta's last 7 games when playing Chicago

7:00 PM
MINNESOTA vs. SEATTLE
Minnesota is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
Minnesota is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Seattle
Seattle is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Seattle's last 5 games

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

WNBA
Dunkel

Sunday, May 22

Chicago @ Atlanta

Game 601-602
May 22, 2016 @ 3:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Chicago
116.734
Atlanta
110.309
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Chicago
by 6 1/2
173
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Chicago
by 4
169
Dunkel Pick:
Chicago
(-4); Over

Minnesota @ Seattle

Game 603-604
May 22, 2016 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Minnesota
121.729
Seattle
107.515
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Minnesota
by 14
153
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Minnesota
by 9
158 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Minnesota
(-9); Under

CNOTES · May 22, 2016

Preview: Sky (1-1) at Dream (1-1)
Date: May 22, 2016 3:00 PM EDT

Elena Delle Donne's usual high-powered performance in her return from an illness wasn't enough to keep the Chicago Sky unbeaten ahead of their first road game this season.

The Sky seek to bounce back Sunday while spoiling the Atlanta Dream's home opener.

Delle Donne had 28 points on 12-of-20 shooting Wednesday in her season debut, but Chicago lost 97-80 to reigning champion Minnesota. With 18 points, Cappie Pondexter was the only other Sky starter in double figures and one of three overall for the team.

Chicago (1-1) opened the season with a 93-70 victory against Connecticut on May 14 while Delle Donne, last season's league MVP, sat out.

Delle Donne, who led the WNBA with 23.4 points per game in 2015, averaged 32.7 and 9.7 rebounds in her three games against Atlanta (1-1). She tallied a career-high 45 points and 11 boards in 100-96 overtime home victory June 24.

Chicago won the final three of its four matchups with the Dream and earned a 98-96 victory in Atlanta on Aug. 29 while Delle Donne sat out because of an ailing foot. The Sky have won in four of their last five visits, including two in the 2014 playoffs.

The Dream also dropped their latest game, 94-85 to Indiana on Friday, and couldn't overcome a 15-point deficit in the final seven minutes. Layshia Clarendon scored a career-high 19 points while matching Tiffany Hayes for the team lead.

The two players also combined for 10 of Atlanta's 21 turnovers, and the Fever registered 17 steals.

"It was our inefficiency to come down and make the right play," coach Michael Cooper said. "I think we were just throwing the ball in too loose. When you do that, good teams capitalize on it."

Angel McCoughtry has scored 15 in each of the first two games, including a 73-63 overtime win against San Antonio on May 14, and is off the pace from her 20.1 per game in 2015. She averaged 24.8 points in the four games against Chicago and had a season-high 34 in the overtime loss.

She also had 33 points and 11 rebounds in the final matchup in 2015.

Atlanta was 9-8 at home last season and finished 15-19 overall while missing the playoffs for the first time since its inaugural 2008 campaign. The Dream were 13-4 on their own floor in each of the previous two campaigns.

WNBA HEAD TO HEAD

Aug 29, 2015 Score ATS Results
CHI « 98 Over: 194
ATL 96 Cover: 0
Tools: Recaps

Jul 21, 2015 Score ATS Results
ATL 92 Cover: 4.5
CHI « 97 Over: 189
Tools: Recaps

Jun 24, 2015 Score ATS Results
ATL 96 Cover: 4.5
CHI « 100 Over: 196
Tools: Recaps

Jun 19, 2015 Score ATS Results
CHI 73 Under: 147
ATL « 74 Cover: 4.5
Tools: Recaps

CNOTES · May 22, 2016

Preview: Lynx (2-0) at Storm (1-1)
Date: May 22, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

Jewell Loyd gave the Seattle Storm a major boost ahead of No. 1 draft pick Breanna Stewart's home debut for the team.

Earning a win in that highly anticipated game will likely prove challenging for the Storm, given the way Minnesota's title defense has started.

The Lynx will seek to improve to 3-0 while registering another decisive victory Sunday.

Loyd scored a career-high 30 points, 10 in the final 3:14, and banked in her final shot with 2.9 seconds left to deliver an 81-80 victory over Phoenix on Friday. Stewart registered her first double-double - 14 points and 13 rebounds - after tallying 23 points on 9-of-13 shooting in her pro debut, a 96-66 defeat to Los Angeles last Sunday.

Stewart and the Storm (1-1) will next face a team that's won its first two games by a combined 36 points.

Sylvia Fowles had 24 points and 13 rebounds in a 97-80 win at Chicago on Wednesday, her first matchup against her former team. Maya Moore chipped in 22 points after tallying 27 in a 95-76 win over Phoenix on May 14.

Minnesota (2-0) has shot a combined 52.8 percent from the field and 32 of 37 from the free-throw line. The Lynx registered 27 assists in their latest win, topping their best performance from 2015 by two, and had 24 versus Phoenix.

"We've kind of gotten back to the way we have played in past years, which is sharing the ball," coach Cheryl Reeve told the team's official website. "We've got good players all over the place, and if we just make the easy play, that leads to that big number in assists."

The Storm snapped a six-game skid to Minnesota in their final matchup in 2015, claiming a 78-64 home victory Sept. 11. The Lynx, however, were resting Moore, Seimone Augustus (foot) and Lindsay Whalen (Achilles) before their playoff run.

Minnesota, though, has lost three of its past four visits to Seattle. The Storm were 8-9 at home last season during their 10-24 campaign.

WNBA HEAD TO HEAD

Sep 11, 2015 Score ATS Results
MIN 64 Under: 142
SEA « 78 Cover: 17.5
Tools: Recaps

Sep 8, 2015 Score ATS Results
SEA 67 Cover: 6
MIN « 73 Under: 140
Tools: Recaps

Jul 3, 2015 Score ATS Results
SEA 57 Under: 139
MIN « 82 Cover: 12.5
Tools: Recaps

Jun 25, 2015 Score ATS Results
MIN « 76 Over: 149
SEA 73 Cover: 7.5
Tools: Recaps

Jun 11, 2015 Score ATS Results
SEA 70 Over: 164
MIN « 94 Cover: 10.5
Tools: Recaps

CNOTES · May 22, 2016

5/21 - YESTERDAY'S RESULTS: 2 - 4
OVERALL : 18 - 13

SUNDAY, MAY 22

GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

CHI at ATL 03:00 PM

ATL +4.5

U 170.5

MIN at SEA 07:00 PM

SEA +9.5

O 158.5

CNOTES · May 24, 2016

Armadillo: Tuesday's six-pack

-- Giants win 1-0 for second consecutive day, first time they've won consecutive games 1-0 since August, 1980.

-- Padres lost in 17 innings Sunday, then on a messed-up pop-up Monday, wasting lot of good pitching by starters Rea, Pomeranz.

-- Sharks 6, Blues 3-- San Jose is one game away from Stanley Cup finals.

-- Royals lost Alex Gordon for 4-6 weeks with a broken hand.

-- Draymond Green will play tonight; he got fined but the league backed off on his suspension- the league prefers good TV ratings to actual justice.

-- Atlanta Braves have five of the first 80 picks in the June 9 amateur draft.

**********

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

13) Major league baseball teams aren't allowed to play more than 20 days in a row, so players on Colorado/Pittsburgh had to vote to play Monday, after Sunday's game was rained out in the second inning.

Pirates will now take the field 34 days in a row, Colorado 27, but playing yesterday was better than the Rockies flying in for one day later this season.

12) With Lucas Duda out for an extended time bith back issues, would the Mets trade for a 3B, move David Wright to first? He has been struggling with throws, anyway, this could be the time to put him at first base.

11) Interesting matchup in Chicago tonight: Indians are 7-0 when Josh Tomlin starts on the mound, White Sox are 9-0 when Chris Sale pitches.

10) White Sox announcer Steve Stone was talking about former Braves' slugger Rico Carty (.299 career BA, 204 HRs). Apparently Carty wasn't a trusting soul-- he kept his wallet in hsi uniform pants while he was playing. Seriously.

9) On the Pirate game yesterday afternoon, Colorado announcers were saying that when he played for the Bronx Bombers, New York coaches tried to get Dominic Cervelli to quit and become a minor league coach, like Crash Davis in Bull Durham.

Cervelli just signed a three-year, $31M extension; hope he sends a copy of his checks to New York, so they can see how wrong they were.

8) I've spent a lot of time keeping score at baseball games, was even an official scorer in the minor leagues for two years, but if I started keeping score again, I'd have to change the way I kept score, because of shifting defenses.

A good scorecard is something you can look at six months later and tell what went on in that game, even if you never saw the game. Jotting down "5-3" is no longer enough, because the 3B ("5") might have shifted to the right side of the infield. Now you need to take notes and be more descriptive, in order to be more accurate.

7) Raptors 105, Cavaliers 99- Why do teams play so much better at home?

6) Trevon Blueitt is going back to Xavier; the Musketeers have their top four guys on the perimeter back and are a top 25 team.

5) Drivers in this year's Indianapolis 500 represent 11 different countries.

4) In his last 1,001 innings pitched, Clayton Kershaw's ERA is 1.995.

3) Players who have come to bat with most men on base this season:
Rizzo 150, Polanco 147, Pujols 143, Abreu 137.

2) Players with 100+ PA who have driven in the highest %age of baserunners:
Bruce 26.7%, Betts 24.2%, Markakis 24.2%, Bradley Jr 23.4%

1) Players with 100+ PA who have driven in the lowest %age of baserunners
Gennett 1-64, MTaylor 2-68, Norris 3-85.

CNOTES · May 24, 2016

WNBA Betting Recap: 5/18-5/22
May 23, 2016

League Betting Notes (Wednesday, May 18 through Sunday, May 22)

-- Favorites went 7-5 straight up (SU)

-- Underdogs went 7-5 against the spread (ATS)

-- Home teams posted a 4-8 SU record

-- Road teams posted a 7-5 ATS record

-- The 'over' went 7-5

Team Betting Notes

After two weeks of action, Los Angeles (3-0) and Minnesota (3-0) are the only teams to remain unbeaten.

The Sparks are also unbeaten against the spread (3-0) and lead the league in scoring defense, holding opponents to 68.3 points per game. Phoenix (0-3) and San Antonio (0-3) are still searching for their first win of the season.

The Mercury haven’t been able to stop anybody this season, allowing a league-worst 91 PPG. Phoenix dropped its home opener on Friday to Seattle (81-80) as an 11 ½-point underdog.

The Storm cashed money-line tickets as high as plus-550 (Bet $100 to win $550) over the Mercury and followed up that win with a great effort versus Minnesota on Sunday. The Storm lost 78-71 but easily covered the 9 ½-point spread.

Indiana is one of three teams averaging 90 PPG or more this season. The Fever have seen the ‘over’ cash in all three of their games.

Washington is another club that owns a perfect ‘over’ mark this season. The Mystics have allowed 86.8 PPG, which has helped the high side cash in all four of their contests.

CNOTES · May 24, 2016

WNBA
Dunkel

Tuesday, May 24

Atlanta @ New York

Game 651-652
May 24, 2016 @ 11:00 am

Dunkel Rating:
Atlanta
112.188
New York
116.158
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
New York
by 4
160
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
New York
by 7 1/2
154
Dunkel Pick:
Atlanta
(+7 1/2); Over

Los Angeles @ Chicago

Game 653-654
May 24, 2016 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Los Angeles
114.137
Chicago
115.627
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Chicago
by 1 1/2
161
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Los Angeles
by 1
167
Dunkel Pick:
Chicago
(+1); Under

WNBA

Tuesday, May 24

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

11:00 AM
ATLANTA vs. NEW YORK
Atlanta is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games when playing New York
The total has gone OVER in 9 of Atlanta's last 13 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of New York's last 10 games at home
New York is 12-6 SU in its last 18 games at home

7:00 PM
LOS ANGELES vs. CHICAGO
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Los Angeles's last 5 games when playing on the road against Chicago
Los Angeles is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
Chicago is 1-5-1 ATS in its last 7 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Chicago's last 5 games when playing at home against Los Angeles

WNBA
Long Sheet

Tuesday, May 24

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

ATLANTA (15 - 19) at NEW YORK (26 - 14) - 5/24/2016, 11:00 AM
Top Trends for this game.
NEW YORK is 27-15 ATS (+10.5 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
NEW YORK is 12-4 ATS (+7.6 Units) after allowing 75 points or more over the last 2 seasons.
ATLANTA is 15-6 ATS (+8.4 Units) as an underdog over the last 2 seasons.
ATLANTA is 16-7 ATS (+8.3 Units) after allowing 75 points or more over the last 2 seasons.

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

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

LOS ANGELES (15 - 22) at CHICAGO (22 - 15) - 5/24/2016, 7:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
LOS ANGELES is 155-194 ATS (-58.4 Units) after scoring 75 points or more since 1997.
LOS ANGELES is 123-162 ATS (-55.2 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record since 1997.
CHICAGO is 11-24 ATS (-15.4 Units) in home games on Tuesday since 1997.
CHICAGO is 9-19 ATS (-11.9 Units) against Western conference opponents over the last 3 seasons.
CHICAGO is 9-19 ATS (-11.9 Units) in non-conference games over the last 3 seasons.
CHICAGO is 16-32 ATS (-19.2 Units) after allowing 75 points or more over the last 3 seasons.
CHICAGO is 8-18 ATS (-11.8 Units) after scoring 75 points or more over the last 2 seasons.

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

CNOTES · May 24, 2016

Moving on up: Unbeaten Sparks 2nd in AP WNBA power poll
May 24, 2016

NEW YORK (AP) What a difference a year makes.

Los Angeles is 3-0 for the first time since 2003. The Sparks didn't win their third game last season until July 21.

After rallying from an eight-point deficit in the final 80 seconds on Saturday against the New York Liberty to win in overtime, L.A. moved up four spots in The Associated Press power poll . They are second, behind only Minnesota.

Two big reasons for their early success has been the play of Nneka Ogwumike and having Candace Parker in training camp this year. Ogwumike had 25 points and 15 rebounds in the overtime win over the Liberty.

Parker usually has been playing overseas in the winter and would show up to Sparks training camp right before the season began. This year she was with the team from Day 1.

''I definitely feel comfortable out there,'' Parker said. ''I feel fresh and think we're playing well so far although it's early. This is my first go round being at training camp from the start; it's been great helping set expectations. I was really excited and anxious to get the season going. A lot of the players got in earlier. Culture is huge. This is the best I've been part of since I've been here.''

She sat out the first half of the season last year to rest her body.

''You can tell she looks fresh out there,'' Sparks coach Brian Agler said. ''Having her early has helped us.''

The Sparks continue their four-game road trip in Chicago on Tuesday and Connecticut on Thursday.

---

POWER POLL: Los Angeles is playing well, but not well enough to overtake the reigning WNBA champion Lynx. A look at the first regular season WNBA poll.

1. Minnesota (3-0): The defending champions have looked every bit the part early on.

2. Los Angeles (3-0): On the road or at home, the Sparks have won

3. New York (2-1): A hiccup late in the game against the Sparks cost them first 3-0 start since 2007

4. Dallas (3-1): Looked good without Skylar Diggins and now have their star guard back

5. Indiana (2-1): Tamika Catchings' last season has gotten off to a good start.

6. Atlanta (2-1): The Dream surprised Chicago at home and are off to strong start, jumping five spots in poll.

7. Chicago (1-2): Elena Delle Donne missed the opener with illness the Sky won, she played the next two and they lost - go figure.

8. Phoenix (0-3): Biggest drop in poll, was second in preseason. The talent is there, albeit many players reported late because of overseas commitments.

9. Seattle (1-2): Looked overmatched against the Sparks before beating Phoenix on last-second shot and playing Minnesota tough.

10. Washington (1-3): Just trying to get everyone healthy.

11. Connecticut (1-2): New coach, new attitude, trying to get more wins.

12. San Antonio (0-3): Tough losses to Connecticut and Dallas. Dan Hughes' final season on bench could be a long one.

---

GAME OF THE WEEK: Los Angeles is involved in two family type games this week. Candace Parker has a homecoming Tuesday night in Chicago where she grew up. Nneka Ogwumike will play her sister Chiney for the first time this season when the Sparks visit Connecticut on Thursday. ''It's always fun playing against'' Chiney, Nneka said. ''It's easy to say it's just another game, but it's not. I'm just happy to see her back out on the court after she missed last year with the injury.''

---

STAT OF THE WEEK: Breanna Stewart, Moriah Jefferson and Morgan Tuck have combined to lose more games already in their first week in the WNBA than they did in four years at UConn. The trio was 151-5 in college. They are 2-7 in the pros.

CNOTES · May 24, 2016

5/22 - RESULTS: 3 - 1
OVERALL : 21 - 14

TUESDAY, MAY 24

GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

LA at CHI 07:00 PM

LA -3.0

U 167.0

CNOTES · May 25, 2016

WNBA Betting Recap: 5/18-5/22
May 23, 2016

League Betting Notes (Wednesday, May 18 through Sunday, May 22)

-- Favorites went 7-5 straight up (SU)

-- Underdogs went 7-5 against the spread (ATS)

-- Home teams posted a 4-8 SU record

-- Road teams posted a 7-5 ATS record

-- The 'over' went 7-5

Team Betting Notes

After two weeks of action, Los Angeles (3-0) and Minnesota (3-0) are the only teams to remain unbeaten.

The Sparks are also unbeaten against the spread (3-0) and lead the league in scoring defense, holding opponents to 68.3 points per game. Phoenix (0-3) and San Antonio (0-3) are still searching for their first win of the season.

The Mercury haven’t been able to stop anybody this season, allowing a league-worst 91 PPG. Phoenix dropped its home opener on Friday to Seattle (81-80) as an 11 ½-point underdog.

The Storm cashed money-line tickets as high as plus-550 (Bet $100 to win $550) over the Mercury and followed up that win with a great effort versus Minnesota on Sunday. The Storm lost 78-71 but easily covered the 9 ½-point spread.

Indiana is one of three teams averaging 90 PPG or more this season. The Fever have seen the ‘over’ cash in all three of their games.

Washington is another club that owns a perfect ‘over’ mark this season. The Mystics have allowed 86.8 PPG, which has helped the high side cash in all four of their contests.

CNOTES · May 25, 2016

WNBA Capsules
May 24, 2016

NEW YORK (AP) Tiffany Hayes had 27 points and 11 rebounds, Angel McCoughtry scored all 15 of her points after halftime and the Atlanta Dream beat the New York Liberty 85-79 in overtime on Tuesday.

Hayes was 7 of 13 from the field with three 3-pointers and hit all 10 of her free-throw attempts. McCoughtry scored four of Atlanta's eight overtime points as the Dream (3-1) held New York to just two points in the extra session.

McCoughtry made the first basket of overtime at the 2:20 mark and Hayes added two free throws on Atlanta's next possession for an 81-77 lead. New York eventually scored on Tanisha Wright's layup with 20.3 seconds left to pull to 83-79, but the Dream sealed it at the line.

Elizabeth Williams added a career-high 16 points with eight boards for Atlanta (3-1), which is ranked No. 6 in the WNBA power poll. The Dream made 34 of 42 free-throw attempts (81 percent) while New York was just 14 of 20.

Tina Charles recorded her fourth straight double-double with 29 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and a career-high seven steals for third-ranked New York (2-2).

SPARKS 93, SKY 80

ROSEMONT, Ill. (AP) - Candace Parker scored 17 of her 26 points in the first half and the Sparks used a decisive second quarter to cruise to a win over the Sky.

Chicago was within two with 3:55 left before halftime, but Los Angeles closed the opening 20 minutes with an 18-2 run for a 53-35 lead. Kristi Toliver started the spurt with a 3-pointer and Parker scored the final six points.

Parker scored the first five Los Angeles points of the third quarter, including a coast-to-coast layup and a 3-pointer, and the Sparks led by double figures for the entire second half.

Nneka Ogwumike had 19 points, nine rebounds and four assists and Jantel Lavender scored 16 on 7-of-9 shooting for Los Angeles (4-0), which was ranked No. 2 in the AP WNBA power poll. Kristi Toliver had 11 points and 10 assists and the Sparks finished with 27 assists on 30 field goals.

Jamierra Faulkner scored 17 points with a career-high 10 assists for No. 7 Chicago (1-3), which was without point guard Courtney Vandersloot for a second straight game. The Sky turned it over 15 times and Elena Delle Donne was held to eight points.

CNOTES · May 25, 2016

Preview: Lynx (3-0) at Mercury (0-3)
Date: May 25, 2016 10:00 PM EDT

The Phoenix Mercury were favored to win the championship by a sizable margin in a preseason poll among WNBA general managers.

The Minnesota Lynx, though, look far more like the team to beat since the league's 20th season tipped off.

The Lynx will seek to improve to 4-0 while dropping the Mercury to 0-4 on Wednesday night in the second matchup between the teams in less than two weeks.

Phoenix was picked by seven of the 12 GMs to take the title while Minnesota finished a distant second with two votes despite being the defending champion. That result was likely based on the Mercury getting Diana Taurasi back from a year-long hiatus.

The seven-time All-Star and five-time scoring champion has displayed her usual high-level performance, averaging a league-best 24.3 points. The Mercury, though, struggled to slow down their first two opponents, giving up a combined 192 points.

Minnesota shot 54.1 percent in a 95-76 home win May 14 in the season opener for both teams.

Phoenix had a better effort Friday against Seattle but lost 81-80 in its home debut when the Storm's Jewell Loyd banked in a 12-foot shot with 2.9 seconds left.

"We have to keep working," coach Sandy Brondello said. "The games don't get any easier. We have to keep working. We have to make sure we stay together. We have to make sure we hold each other accountable."

The Mercury will try to avoid going 0-4 for the first time since 2008 and third time in franchise history. That was also the last time they dropped their first two home games.

That won't prove an easy task as Minnesota has charged out of the gates once again, starting 3-0 or better for the fourth time in five seasons. The Lynx are the league's only team to start 3-0 this year without needing overtime and topped Seattle 78-71 in their latest victory Sunday.

The result was a little closer than in their first two games, which they won by a combined 36 points while scoring a total of 192.

"There are several staple players that have been here for a while now, but we have a lot of new players," forward Maya Moore told the team's official website. "They're hungry to get it right, to get it together with those of us who have been here for a while. We want to make sure we're clicking on all cylinders."

Moore had 27 points and a career-high 10 assists in the win over Phoenix and Seimone Augustus chipped in 21 points on 10-of-15 shooting. Sylvia Fowles got the better of Brittney Griner in the paint, tallying 17 points and 14 rebounds, and the Lynx outperformed the Mercury on the boards 40-24.

Griner had 12 points and five rebounds in her team's fourth consecutive loss to Minnesota, including last year's Western Conference finals.

Moore scored 40 points as the Lynx snapped a seven-game skid in Phoenix with a 72-71 victory in the series clincher.

WNBA HEAD TO HEAD

May 14, 2016 Score ATS Results
PHO 76 Over: 171
MIN « 95 Cover: 15
Tools: Recaps

Sep 29, 2015 Score ATS Results
PHO 0 Over: 0
MIN « 0 Cover: 0
Tools:

Sep 27, 2015 Score ATS Results
PHO 71 Cover: 1
MIN « 72 Under: 143
Tools:

Sep 24, 2015 Score ATS Results
PHO 60 Under: 127
MIN « 67 Cover: 2
Tools:

Aug 30, 2015 Score ATS Results
PHO 61 Under: 132
MIN « 71 Cover: 3
Tools: Recaps

Aug 23, 2015 Score ATS Results
MIN 67 Under: 146
PHO « 79 Cover: 13
Tools: Recaps

Aug 7, 2015 Score ATS Results
MIN 66 Under: 139
PHO « 73 Cover: 8.5
Tools: Recaps

Jun 27, 2015 Score ATS Results
PHO 56 Under: 127
MIN « 71 Cover: 8.5
Tools: Recaps

Jun 14, 2015 Score ATS Results
MIN 66 Under: 147
PHO « 81 Cover: 23
Tools: Recaps