2016 wnba thread news notes picks !

[CNOTES]

WNBA
Dunkel


Friday, October 14


Minnesota @ Los Angeles


Game 651-652
October 14, 2016 @ 9:00 pm


Dunkel Rating:
Minnesota
118.201
Los Angeles
121.521
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Los Angeles
by 3 1/2
152
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Los Angeles
by 1 1/2
157
Dunkel Pick:
Los Angeles
(-1 1/2); Under








WNBA
Long Sheet


Friday, October 14


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MINNESOTA (32 - 7) at LOS ANGELES (30 - 10) - 10/14/2016, 9:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.


Head-to-Head Series History
MINNESOTA is 9-7 against the spread versus LOS ANGELES over the last 3 seasons
MINNESOTA is 11-5 straight up against LOS ANGELES over the last 3 seasons
11 of 16 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons


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








WNBA


Friday, October 14


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


9:00 PM
MINNESOTA vs. LOS ANGELES
Minnesota is 8-17 SU in its last 25 games when playing on the road against Los Angeles
Minnesota is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Los Angeles
Los Angeles is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against Minnesota
Los Angeles is 17-8 SU in its last 25 games when playing at home against Minnesota

 

[CNOTES]

WLT PCT UNITS


ATS Picks 100-94-5 51.55% -1700


O/U Picks 94-105-0 47.24% -10750




FRIDAY, OCTOBER 14


GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS


MIN at LA 09:00 PM

MIN +2.0


O 159.0

 

[CNOTES]

Sparks rout Lynx 92-75; move within game of WNBA title
October 15, 2016


LOS ANGELES (AP) Candace Parker watched video of herself in every game the Sparks played against Minnesota this season.


She didn't like what she saw.


Parker brought a different mentality into Game 3 of the WNBA Finals, leading an aggressive charge from the opening tip in the Sparks' 92-75 victory Friday night that put the franchise on the brink of its first championship since 2002.


''That was a product of me being non-existent in every game we played Minnesota this year,'' Parker said.


She scored 24 points, Nneka Ogwumike added 21 and the Sparks took a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five series.


''We've worked too hard to get to this point and just be there,'' Parker said. ''We had a game plan of just going to the basket and being aggressive.''


The Sparks can close out the Lynx with a victory in Game 4 on Sunday.


Los Angeles built a 22-point advantage in the opening quarter when it shot 60 percent in the game played at Galen Center on the Southern California campus, down the street from their home court at Staples Center.


''It's all on the want to of Nneka Ogwumike and Candace Parker to start the game. Their want-to was on `10,''' Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve said. ''I'm not sure what we were expecting when we started the game but it wasn't that.''


Parker and Ogwumike were especially devastating in a 2 1/2-minute sequence in the first. They combined to score 12 straight points with Ogwumike hitting consecutive 3-pointers and Los Angeles taking a 21-6 lead.


''I didn't see it coming,'' a clearly peeved Reeve said. ''They won the persistency battle. We didn't rise to the occasion. We were soft, we were feeble.''


Rebekkah Brunson and Sylvia Fowles led Minnesota with 14 points each. Lindsay Whalen added 11, and Maya Moore had nine points and seven rebounds. The Lynx had 13 turnovers.


''They're extremely good converting those turnovers into points,'' Moore said. ''If you give that much of a lead to a great team, it's going to be really hard to come back.''


The Lynx cut the deficit to 48-40 at halftime, outscoring the Sparks 10-0 to end the second.


''You're not going to sustain that,'' Sparks coach Brian Agler said about his team's initial intensity, ''but I also think a lot of that had to do with Minnesota. They experimented there for a while and finally got a group that was working.''


It didn't last long.


With their former and current league MVPs leading the way, the Sparks dominated inside. Parker and Ogwumike helped Los Angeles to a 52-32 advantage in the paint.


Parker and Ogwumike had nine rebounds each, helping the Sparks to a 29-24 edge on the boards.


Essence Carson added 16 points, and Alana Beard finished with 15 for Los Angeles.


The Lynx made a run in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Sparks 11-2 to close to 81-71. Los Angeles answered with eight straight points to go up 89-71. Parker hit a layup and fed Ogwumike on a fast-break sandwiched around baskets by Beard.


''We just didn't have enough consecutive possessions on both sides of the ball to create enough of a run,'' Moore said.


Minnesota is seeking its fourth title in six years. The Lynx evened the series with a 19-point victory in Game 2 on their home court.


ALL-WNBA

League MVP Ogwumike was the only unanimous pick for the all-WNBA first team, receiving 39 first-place votes and 195 points from the media panel.


New York center Tina Charles was second with 38 first-team votes and 193 points. Guards Maya Moore of Minnesota and Sue Bird of Seattle, and forward Elena Delle Donne completed the first team.


Forwards Angel McCoughtry of Atlanta and Breanna Stewart of Seattle were selected to the second team along with guards Diana Taurasi of Phoenix and Jewell Loyd of Seattle, and center Fowles.


PURPLE ONE


Lynx F Natasha Howard scored six points, but made a bigger statement with footwear. She sported the purple symbol associated with the late singer Prince on her white shoes.

McCARVILLE INJURY


Lynx F-C Janel McCarville hurt her back and didn't return.


UP NEXT


Game 4 is Sunday night at Staples Center.

 

[CNOTES]

WNBA
Dunkel


Sunday, October 16


Minnesota @ Los Angeles


Game 653-654
October 16, 2016 @ 8:30 pm


Dunkel Rating:
Minnesota
116.545
Los Angeles
121.177
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Los Angeles
by 4 1/2
167
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Los Angeles
by 2
160
Dunkel Pick:
Los Angeles
(-2); Over








WNBA
Long Sheet


Sunday, October 16


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


MINNESOTA (32 - 8) at LOS ANGELES (31 - 10) - 10/16/2016, 8:30 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.


Head-to-Head Series History
MINNESOTA is 9-8 against the spread versus LOS ANGELES over the last 3 seasons
MINNESOTA is 11-6 straight up against LOS ANGELES over the last 3 seasons
11 of 17 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons


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








WNBA


Sunday, October 16


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


8:30 PM
MINNESOTA vs. LOS ANGELES
Minnesota is 17-4 SU in its last 21 games
Minnesota is 8-17 SU in its last 25 games when playing on the road against Los Angeles
Los Angeles is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games
Los Angeles is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home

 

[CNOTES]

WLT PCT UNITS


ATS Picks 100-95-5 51.28% -2250


O/U Picks 95-105-0 47.50% -10250




SUNDAY, OCTOBER 16


GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS


MIN at LA 08:30 PM

LA -1.0


O 159.0

 

[CNOTES]

Lynx beat Sparks 85-79, claw back to tie WNBA Finals
October 17, 2016


LOS ANGELES (AP) Midway through the first quarter, Maya Moore was looking in her teammates' eyes, searching for clues as to how the game would go.


She could see their passion and resolve.


''I knew we were going to fight,'' she said.


Moore scored 31 points and Minnesota's defense held Nneka Ogwumike and Candace Parker in check to help the Lynx beat the Los Angeles Sparks 85-79 on Sunday night and force a decisive fifth game in the WNBA Finals.


''Every possession was so crucial and we just made more of them,'' Moore said.


Lindsay Whalen added 13 points, Seimone Augustus had 12 and Sylvia Fowles had 10 points and 13 rebounds in tying the series 2-2 and sending it back to Minneapolis, where the Lynx will try to win their record-tying fourth championship on Thursday.


''This is what a Finals game should look like,'' Minnesota coach Cheryl Reeve said. ''Both teams leaving it all on the floor.''


Ogwumike, the league MVP, scored 11 points on 5 of 10 shooting, while two-time MVP Parker scored 14 points and made 6 of 7 free throws for the Sparks, who were trying to close out their first title since 2002 in front of their fans at Staples Center.


Chelsea Gray led the Sparks with 20 points off the bench. She was 6 of 11 and made all four of her free throws.


The Sparks outscored the Lynx 10-4 to open the fourth, tying it at 69-all on Parker's driving bank shot as she fell out of bounds. Los Angeles got most of its points at the free throw line, going 6 of 9 in that span.


Whalen scored two straight baskets to put the Lynx back in front 73-69 on turnovers by Ogwumike and Kristi Toliver, who finished with 15 points.


''We'll replay this game in our minds and know we have to play with a little bit more poise down the stretch,'' Toliver said. ''Be more decisive.''


Trailing 77-72, Gray hit her fourth 3-pointer to draw the Sparks within two.


''We were trying, we were making things happen down the stretch,'' Los Angeles coach Brian Agler said. ''It's just the ability to play with poise down the stretch.''


The teams traded baskets and Minnesota led 79-77. Parker was called for a shooting foul on Rebekkah Brunson, who made both free throws for an 81-77 lead. Before Parker fouled Brunson, it appeared that Minnesota hadn't gotten the ball across halfcourt in time to avoid an 8-second violation. Replays suggested the ball was still in the backcourt when the shot clock was at 16.


''I think they forgot they had to get the ball over the line,'' Toliver said. ''But that's life. We can't leave it up to the officials to determine a series. We have to go take it.''


With 42 seconds left, Whalen lost the ball to Ogwumike. At the Sparks' end, Brunson stole it from Parker, who ended up getting whistled for the foul.


''I had it at one point and after that I didn't see what happened because I think I was on the floor,'' Whalen said. ''It was kind of a wild play.''


Moore stole an inbounds pass and Ogwumike fouled her with 4 seconds left. Moore made both to close out the win, missing just one of her 12 free throw attempts.


''We fought today,'' Ogwumike said. ''When it comes to focus and awareness, we can sharpen up there. We're going to fight again.''


The Lynx scored six in a row to take their largest lead, 52-42, early in the third, which ended in a 3-point contest. The Sparks made three, including two by Gray, and Moore hit two 3s for the Lynx, who led 65-59 going into the fourth. Moore scored 10 points in the third.


Minnesota dominated the Sparks 22-4 in fastbreak points and controlled the boards, 41-25.


STILL HURT


Janel McCarville missed her second straight game with a back injury, leaving the Lynx without her 6-foot-2 post presence.


FOUL TROUBLE


Brunson, who guarded Parker much of the time, finished with six points and five fouls. Fowles had four fouls.


KOBE & THE GIRLS


A bearded Kobe Bryant returned to the scene of some of his greatest career moments, watching courtside with wife Vanessa and their two daughters. Also on hand was Sparks co-owner Magic Johnson, who returned from Chicago where the Dodgers were playing the Cubs in the National League Championship Series at the same time. Lakers guard Lou Williams, Cedric the Entertainer and Marsai Martin of ''black-ish'' attended.


UP NEXT

Game 5 is Thursday in Minnesota.

 

[CNOTES]

SCHEDULE FOR THURSDAY OCTOBER 20, 2016


Time (ET) Away Home Site


8:00 PM Los Angeles Sparks Minnesota Lynx Target Center


WLT PCT UNITS


ATS Picks 100-96-5 51.02% -2800


O/U Picks 96-105-0 47.76% -9750

 

[CNOTES]

Lynx, Sparks ready for decisive Game 5
October 19, 2016


MINNEAPOLIS (AP) Seimone Augustus was a 13-year-old girl when she watched the Houston Comets win the first WNBA championship in 1997.


The Comets would win the first four titles in the league, proving to basketball-loving girls across the country that there was a place for them to pursue their dreams. And Augustus couldn't get enough of them.


Two decades later, Augustus and the Minnesota Lynx stand on the precipice of joining those trailblazing women. A victory over the Los Angeles Sparks in Game 5 of the WNBA Finals on Thursday night would give the Lynx their fourth title, tying them with the Comets for most in league history.


''That's just mind-boggling to me,'' Augustus said. ''We grew up watching the Houston Comets and those wonderful women the kind of set the precedent for what WNBA basketball is all about. They've motivated and inspired us. Now we could be the new Houston Comets of this era if we do what we need to do.


They know it will not be easy. Through the first four games of the series, the Sparks and Lynx have pushed each other as far as they can go, which is exactly what the league hoped would happen when it changed the playoff format to seed teams based on record and not geography. Los Angeles won Game 1 in Minnesota and Game 3 back home. The Lynx have responded to each loss with a victory of their own to find themselves right back where they were a year ago - needing a win in Game 5 at Target Center to bring home a title.


Last year the Lynx dispatched the Indiana Fever in front of 17,000 fans, then partied all night long at Prince's house to celebrate title No. 3. Another raucous crowd is expected this time around in what would be the crowning achievement for the league's model franchise, first back-to-back championships in the league since the Sparks repeated in 2002.


''You couldn't ask for anything more,'' said Lynx star Maya Moore, who scored 31 points in Game 4 to keep Minnesota alive. ''It's been definitely a dramatic series and one that will go down as one of the best, I think.''


The Lynx have been here five times in the last six years, but this has been their most difficult finals test. League MVP Nneka Oqwumike, Candace Parker and Kristi Toliver present a star-studded trio to rival Minnesota's, and they have been every bit their equal through four games.


The Sparks are chasing ghosts of their own. A victory Thursday night would give them their first championship since Lisa Leslie led them to their second in a row in 2002, and that may have played into their defeat on Sunday. They were so eager to finish the series on their home floor that coach Brian Agler said they have turned their focus in the wrong direction, and it cost them.


''I think everyone out there was playing to win a championship and not to beat the team we were playing,'' Ogwumike said. ''I told coach yesterday in the airport that's exactly how I felt when he put it in that perspective. Having that with a good balance of focus and awareness and effort is exactly what we need.''


Afterward, Lakers legend Magic Johnson addressed the crestfallen players, telling them to put the loss behind them and be ready because the series was not over.


''You could hear a pin drop,'' Toliver said. ''Everybody was just really locked in to what he was saying. When he's talking, everybody listens and that was exactly what we needed to hear in that moment because in that moment, your emotions are all over the place. He kind of just brought everybody back in and refocused everyone.''

 

[CNOTES]

Preview: Sparks (26-8) at Lynx (28-6)
Date: October 20, 2016 8:00 PM EDT

MINNEAPOLIS -- One team in Thursday's Game 5 of the WNBA Finals is trying to keep a dynasty alive. The other is trying to start one.


The Minnesota Lynx are looking for their second straight WNBA crown and what would be their fourth title in the last six years. That would match an all-time record for most team titles in league history.


The Los Angeles Sparks, meanwhile, are looking for their first championship since 2002, when they won the second of their back-to-back titles. The Sparks had run into the Lynx in the playoffs in recent years and haven't played in a Finals since 2003.


After trading wins through four games, everything hinges on Thursday's finale at Target Center.


"We each won on each other's home court, and that's not easy to do, when you look at the home court that we have and our fans and you look at what exists here," Minnesota head coach Cheryl Reeve said after Game 4. "... Now it's Game 5, which is what everybody was asking for, hoping for, and here we are."


Two of the four games so far in the series have been very one-sided. The Lynx handily won Game 2 by a 19-point margin, while the Sparks dominated in Game 3 to take a 2-1 lead after a 17-point victory.


Los Angeles escaped Game 1 with a two-point win thanks to a buzzer beater by Alana Beard and some tough defense down the stretch. Minnesota forced a Game 5 with a win Sunday, fueled by a 31-point effort from Maya Moore.


Moore, a former WNBA MVP, has averaged 22.3 points through these playoffs. As she has gone, so too have the Lynx.


"Obviously Maya Moore hit some big shots, made some big plays, both ends of the floor," Sparks coach Brian Agler said following Los Angeles' loss in Game 4. "Got a lot of respect for them. They're a championship team. They're well-coached."


Rebounding was key for Minnesota in Game 4. The Lynx out-rebounded the Sparks 41-25, including 14 offensive boards. Minnesota was the third-best rebounding team in the league all season, while Los Angeles ranked third-to-last in that category. The Sparks will have to find a way in Game 5 to account for Sylvia Fowles, who alone had 13 boards -- six on offense -- for the Lynx.


A bonus for both teams is that they should be plenty fresh for Thursday's showdown. Game 5 takes place four days after Sunday's Game 4 in Los Angeles, giving each ample opportunity to rest and prepare.


"Both teams will have had a chance to get their legs back underneath them," Agler said. "I think it'll be competitive again on Thursday. That's what I anticipate."


The two Western Conference foes have gone back and forth all series, from quarter to quarter and game to game. So far, the series has lived up to the hype as the top two seeds in the playoffs have had the opportunity to go toe-to-toe.


Now it's a matter of which team can land the last punch.


"Obviously it's been a great series, lots of ups and downs, and two great teams battling it out," said Lynx veteran guard Lindsay Whalen. "There will definitely be a lot of energy for both sides on Thursday."



WNBA HEAD TO HEAD


Oct 16, 2016 Score ATS Results
MIN « 85 Cover: 7
LOS 79 Over: 164
Tools: Recaps


Oct 14, 2016 Score ATS Results
MIN 75 Over: 167
LOS « 92 Cover: 16
Tools: Recaps


Oct 11, 2016 Score ATS Results
LOS 60 Under: 139
MIN « 79 Cover: 12
Tools: Recaps


Oct 9, 2016 Score ATS Results
LOS « 78 Cover: 8.5
MIN 76 Under: 154
Tools: Recaps


Sep 6, 2016 Score ATS Results
MIN « 77 Cover: 4
LOS 74 Under: 151
Tools: Recaps


Jun 24, 2016
Score ATS Results
LOS « 94 Cover: 23.5
MIN 76 Over: 170
Tools: Recaps


Jun 21, 2016 Score ATS Results
MIN « 72 Cover: 4
LOS 71 Under: 143
Tools: Recaps

 

[CNOTES]

WNBA
Long Sheet


Thursday, October 20


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

LOS ANGELES (31 - 11) at MINNESOTA (33 - 8) - 10/20/2016, 8:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.


Head-to-Head Series History
MINNESOTA is 10-8 against the spread versus LOS ANGELES over the last 3 seasons
MINNESOTA is 12-6 straight up against LOS ANGELES over the last 3 seasons
11 of 18 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons


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








WNBA


Thursday, October 20


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


8:00 PM
LOS ANGELES vs. MINNESOTA
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Los Angeles's last 11 games when playing on the road against Minnesota
Los Angeles is 3-14 SU in its last 17 games when playing on the road against Minnesota
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Minnesota's last 6 games at home
Minnesota is 13-1 SU in its last 14 games at home