CNOTES 2018 WNBA PICKS,TRENDS,NOTES,NEWS !

[Cnotes53]

SCHEDULE FOR FRIDAY JULY 20, 2018
Time (ET) Away Home Site
7:00 PM Seattle Storm Connecticut Sun Mohegan Sun Arena
9:00 PM Dallas Wings Chicago Sky Wintrust Arena
10:30 PM Indiana Fever Los Angeles Sparks Staples Center

*************************

WNBA JULY RECORD: OVERALL PICKS.

DATE W-L-T % UNITS RECORD

07/19/2018 3-3-0 50.00% -1.50
07/18/2018 2-0-0 100.00% +10.00
07/17/2018 1-0-1 100.00% +5.00
07/15/2018 2-8-0 20.00% -34.00
07/14/2018 0-2-0 0.00% -11.00
07/13/2018 4-4-0 50.00% -2.00
07/12/2018 2-0-0 100.00% +10.00
07/10/2018 4-2-0 66.67% +9.00
07/08/2018 1-4-1 20.00% -17.00
07/07/2018 2-4-0 33.33% -12.00
07/06/2018 1-1-0 50.00% -0.50
07/05/2018 3-4-1 42.86% -7.00
07/03/2018 5-3-0 62.50% +8.50
07/01/2018 3-7-0 30.00% -23.50

TOTALS...........33-42.........44.00%.....-66.00


JULY'S BEST BETS:

07/19/2018.................2 - 1..............+4.50.......................1 - 2................-6.00...............-1.50
07/18/2018.................1 - 0..............+5.00.......................1 - 0................+5.00..............+10.00
07/17/2018.................1 - 0..............+5.00.......................0 - 0................+0.00..............+5.00
07/15/2018.................1 - 4..............-17.00.......................1 - 4................-17.00.............-34.00
07/14/2018.................0 - 1...............-5.50........................0 - 1................-5.50...............-11.00
07/13/2018.................3 - 1...............+9.50.......................1 - 3................-11.50.............-2.00
07/12/2018.................1 - 0...............+5.00.......................1 - 0.................+5.00.............+10.00
07/10/2018.................3 - 0...............+15.00......................2- 1................+4.50.............+19.50
07/08/2018.................0 - 2...............-11.00.......................1 - 2................-6.00..............-17.00
07/07/2018.................1 - 2................-6.00........................1 - 2......,.........-6.00..............-12.00
07/06/2018.................0 - 1................-5.50........................1 - 0...............+5.00..............-0.50
07/05/2018.................2 - 1...............+4.50........................1 - 3...............-11.50.............-7.00
07/03/2018.................2 - 2................-1.00........................3 - 1...............+9.50..............+8.50
07/01/2018.................1 - 4................-17.00......................2 - 3................-6.50...............-23.50

TOTALS.....................18- 19..............-14.500....................16 - 22..............-29.00..............-52.50

 

[Cnotes53]

Armadillo: Friday's six-pack

Odds to win the ACC football championship:

1-2? Clemson Tigers

3-1? Miami Hurricanes

7-1? Florida State Seminoles

8-1? Virginia Tech Hokies

30-1? Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

40-1? Duke, Louisville, NC State


**********

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

13) Cleveland Indians acquired relievers Brad Hand, Adam Cinder from the Padres, in exchange for hitting prospect Francisco Mejia, who is a catcher/OF. Cleveland?s bullpen is a mess, so this was necessary for the Tribe, while Yan Gomes? resurgence made Mejia more expendable.

12) Washington plays Auburn on September 1st; over last seven years, there have been only 11 football games between SEC/Pac-12 teams. SEC is 8-3 in those 11 games, but Pac-12 teams won both meetings last season.

11) They experimented with a new rule at NBA Summer League; when a team got an offensive rebound, the shot clock re-set to 0:14, not 0:24. Makes sense; think that rule would have more of an impact in college than the pros.

10) If you like to make ?first 5 innings? bets on Washington Nationals games, don?t play on the Nats when Tanner Roark pitches. Washington is 3-10 in Roark?s last 13 starts, 1-12 in the first five innings of those games.

9) Since 2013, UConn?s football team is 0-11 vs spread as a home favorite, 2-17 since 2011.

Since 2012, UNLV?s football team is 21-8 as a road underdog.

8) Remember when Blockbuster video stores were all over the place? There is only one left in the whole country now, in Bend, Oregon.

7) There is a statistic in college basketball called ?Minutes Continuity? which measures how much the current players have played together. I find it pretty useful.

There are 351 Division I teams; here is UNLV?s minutes continuity the last five years:

334-347-310-350-311. Thats almost a whole new roster every season.

Here is Kentucky?s: 336-176-335-322-348.
Here is Duke?s: 207-266-334-180-339

Difference is, Duke/Kentucky are getting best freshmen in country, UNLV doesn?t. This year, their continuity should be a little better, and their record should improve. Last time Rebels had a winning record in the Mountain West was 2013-14.

6) By way of comparison, Loyola of Chicago made the Final Four last year, after having their first winning conference season in 11 years. Their minutes continuity? #82.

5) Denver Nuggets? #1 draft pick Michael Porter Jr had another procedure done on his back last week; for a young kid, he?s had a lot of physical issues. Nuggets haven?t written off him playing this coming season, but he played only 2 or 3 games for Missouri last year.

4) Part of the reason there was such a scramble for QB?s in April?s NFL Draft is that this year?s crop of college QB?s is expected to be especially weak. Think about it: Oklahoma?s quarterback has already signed a pro baseball contract for next year.

Maybe things will change drastically once the games start next month, but for now, scouts are down on this year?s crop of signal callers.

3) Stephen Curry is the only player from the ?09 NBA draft still with his original team.

2) Oklahoma City traded Carmelo Anthony and a protected ?22 1st-round pick to Atlanta for PG Dennis Schroder, Mike Muscala. Anthony will be waived and become a free agent. A team that doesn?t care about defense will sign him.

Trade gives Oklahoma City gets huge salary and luxury tax savings, and having Schroder allows them to play Russell Westbrook off the ball for 20 or so minutes a game.

1) 5 ways to think like a champion, from best-selling author/motivational guru Jon Gordon:
a) Champions expect to win.
b) Champions celebrate the small wins.
c) Champions don?t make excuses when they don?t win.
d) Champions focus on what they get to do, not what they have to do.
e) Champions believe they will experience more wins in the future.

 

[Cnotes53]

WNBA
Dunkel

Friday, July 20


Seattle @ Connecticut

Game 315-316
July 20, 2018 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Seattle
111.307
Connecticut
116.756
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Connecticut
by 5 1/2
164
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Connecticut
by 2
173 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Connecticut
(-2); Under

Dallas @ Chicago

Game 317-318
July 20, 2018 @ 9:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Dallas
117.754
Chicago
100.315
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Dallas
by 17 1/2
174
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Dallas
by 6 1/2
179 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Dallas
(-6 1/2); Under

Indiana @ Los Angeles

Game 319-320
July 20, 2018 @ 10:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Indiana
99.082
Los Angeles
113.034
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Los Angeles
by 14
163
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Los Angeles
by 17 1/2
157
Dunkel Pick:
Indiana
(+17 1/2); Over




WNBA
Long Sheet

Friday, July 20

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SEATTLE (17 - 6) at CONNECTICUT (12 - 11) - 7/20/2018, 7:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
CONNECTICUT is 28-12 ATS (+14.8 Units) as a home favorite of 3 points or less since 1997.
CONNECTICUT is 27-14 ATS (+11.6 Units) after a division game over the last 3 seasons.
SEATTLE is 6-0 ATS (+6.0 Units) in road games in July games over the last 2 seasons.
CONNECTICUT is 2-8 ATS (-6.8 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent this season.
CONNECTICUT is 5-13 ATS (-9.3 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 77+ points/game this season.
CONNECTICUT is 4-11 ATS (-8.1 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 77+ points/game this season.

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

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DALLAS (14 - 9) at CHICAGO (7 - 16) - 7/20/2018, 9:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
DALLAS is 2-10 ATS (-9.0 Units) in road games in July games over the last 3 seasons.
DALLAS is 16-7 ATS (+8.3 Units) in all games this season.
DALLAS is 10-3 ATS (+6.7 Units) as a favorite this season.
DALLAS is 16-7 ATS (+8.3 Units) in May, June, or July games this season.
DALLAS is 13-4 ATS (+8.6 Units) after allowing 75 points or more this season.
DALLAS is 13-6 ATS (+6.4 Units) after scoring 75 points or more this season.
DALLAS is 8-2 ATS (+5.8 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record this season.
DALLAS is 11-4 ATS (+6.6 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 77+ points/game this season.
CHICAGO is 8-19 ATS (-12.9 Units) in home games over the last 2 seasons.
CHICAGO is 8-19 ATS (-12.9 Units) in a home game where where the total is greater than or equal to 150 over the last 2 seasons.
CHICAGO is 6-15 ATS (-10.5 Units) in home games in May, June, or July games over the last 2 seasons.
CHICAGO is 6-15 ATS (-10.5 Units) in home games after allowing 75 points or more over the last 2 seasons.
CHICAGO is 36-56 ATS (-25.6 Units) in home games versus poor defensive teams - allowing 77+ points/game since 1997.
CHICAGO is 3-11 ATS (-9.1 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 77+ points/game this season.

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

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

INDIANA (2 - 21) at LOS ANGELES (14 - 9) - 7/20/2018, 10:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
INDIANA is 8-15 ATS (-8.5 Units) in all games this season.
INDIANA is 4-13 ATS (-10.3 Units) in July games over the last 2 seasons.
INDIANA is 8-15 ATS (-8.5 Units) in May, June, or July games this season.
INDIANA is 18-29 ATS (-13.9 Units) after allowing 75 points or more over the last 2 seasons.
INDIANA is 1-7 ATS (-6.7 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 77+ points/game after 15+ games this season.
LOS ANGELES is 38-26 ATS (+9.4 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
LOS ANGELES is 32-21 ATS (+8.9 Units) as a favorite over the last 2 seasons.
LOS ANGELES is 18-9 ATS (+8.1 Units) against Eastern conference opponents over the last 2 seasons.
LOS ANGELES is 18-9 ATS (+8.1 Units) in non-conference games over the last 2 seasons.
LOS ANGELES is 7-1 ATS (+5.9 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record this season.
LOS ANGELES is 9-25 ATS (-18.5 Units) as a home favorite of 12.5 to 18 points since 1997.
LOS ANGELES is 10-25 ATS (-17.5 Units) as a home favorite of 12.5 or more points since 1997.
LOS ANGELES is 50-72 ATS (-29.2 Units) in home games versus poor defensive teams - allowing 77+ points/game since 1997.

Head-to-Head Series History
LOS ANGELES is 4-4 against the spread versus INDIANA over the last 3 seasons
LOS ANGELES is 6-2 straight up against INDIANA over the last 3 seasons
5 of 8 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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WNBA

Friday, July 20

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

Seattle Storm
Seattle is 7-1 ATS in its last 8 games
Seattle is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games
Seattle is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
Seattle is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Seattle's last 5 games on the road
Seattle is 4-8 SU in its last 12 games when playing Connecticut
Seattle is 1-3-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Connecticut
Seattle is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Connecticut
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Seattle's last 6 games when playing on the road against Connecticut
Connecticut Sun
Connecticut is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games
Connecticut is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Connecticut's last 8 games
Connecticut is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games at home
Connecticut is 16-6 SU in its last 22 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Connecticut's last 12 games at home
Connecticut is 2-3-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Seattle
Connecticut is 8-4 SU in its last 12 games when playing Seattle
Connecticut is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Seattle
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Connecticut's last 6 games when playing at home against Seattle


Dallas Wings
Dallas is 7-1 ATS in its last 8 games
Dallas is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games
The total has gone OVER in 10 of Dallas's last 14 games
Dallas is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
Dallas is 7-14 SU in its last 21 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Dallas's last 8 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Dallas's last 5 games when playing Chicago
Dallas is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Chicago
Dallas is 2-7 SU in its last 9 games when playing on the road against Chicago
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Dallas's last 5 games when playing on the road against Chicago
Chicago Sky
Chicago is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games
Chicago is 1-7 SU in its last 8 games
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Chicago's last 12 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Chicago's last 6 games
Chicago is 5-10-1 ATS in its last 16 games at home
Chicago is 5-11 SU in its last 16 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Chicago's last 7 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Chicago's last 5 games when playing Dallas
Chicago is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against Dallas
Chicago is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games when playing at home against Dallas
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Chicago's last 5 games when playing at home against Dallas


Indiana Fever
Indiana is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games
Indiana is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Indiana's last 6 games
Indiana is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
Indiana is 1-17 SU in its last 18 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Indiana's last 10 games on the road
Indiana is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Los Angeles
Indiana is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing Los Angeles
The total has gone OVER in 9 of Indiana's last 13 games when playing Los Angeles
Indiana is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Los Angeles
Indiana is 5-11 ATS in its last 16 games when playing on the road against Los Angeles
Indiana is 1-8 SU in its last 9 games when playing on the road against Los Angeles
The total has gone UNDER in 13 of Indiana's last 18 games when playing on the road against Los Angeles
Los Angeles Sparks
Los Angeles is 3-7 ATS in its last 10 games
Los Angeles is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games
Los Angeles is 15-6-1 ATS in its last 22 games at home
Los Angeles is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games at home
Los Angeles is 18-5 SU in its last 23 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 12 of Los Angeles's last 14 games at home
Los Angeles is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Indiana
Los Angeles is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing Indiana
The total has gone OVER in 9 of Los Angeles's last 13 games when playing Indiana
Los Angeles is 11-5 ATS in its last 16 games when playing at home against Indiana
Los Angeles is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against Indiana
Los Angeles is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games when playing at home against Indiana
The total has gone UNDER in 13 of Los Angeles's last 18 games when playing at home against Indiana

 

[Cnotes53]

Homecoming for some Storm against Sun

There are times in professional sports when you play a road game that actually feels like you are at home.

Friday night, former UConn stars Breanna Stewart and Sue Bird will lead the league-leading Seattle Storm into Uncasville, Conn., for a game against the Connecticut Sun at Mohegan Sun Arena.

Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis, also a former UConn Husky, is also part of the league-leading Storm roster as Seattle visits a Sun team coming off a stunning last-second loss to the Atlanta Dream and fighting for a playoff spot.

The Storm (17-6, 7-2 on the road) already own two wins -- both at home -- over the Sun, winning 103-92 on June 15 and then 84-70 two weeks later.

They opened their three-game road trip with a 101-83 victory at Chicago on Wednesday. Stewart, the league's top scorer (22.9) and No. 5 rebounder (8.2) led the team with 30 points and nine rebounds, while Jewell Loyd just missed a triple double with 20 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists. Bird chipped in with 11 assists in the game.

The win at Chicago marked the fourth time the Storm have reached the 100-point mark this season.

Bird, the league's all-time assist leader, just made her record 11th All-Star Game.

"Seventeen years ago, if you told me I'd be setting a new record with 11 All-Star appearances, I would have called you crazy," Bird told the Hartford Courant. "It's a testament to my teammates and coaches throughout the years, and an absolute honor given all of the greats who have played in this league."

Stewart and Loyd were also picked for the All-Star game, which will be held in Minneapolis July 28. Seattle coach Dan Hughes will coach one of the teams.

The Sun's Chiney Ogwumike and Jasmine Thomas are also part of the talent pool for the All-Star game.

Ogwumike, who missed all last season with a torn Achilles, leads the Sun (12-11) in scoring (14.8) and is second in rebounding (7.5). Thomas leads her team in rebounding (9.4).

Connecticut started the season 7-1 but has gone 5-10 since, the last two losses coming in stunning fashion.

The Sun lost to the New York Liberty on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Shavonte Zellous. Then, after two wins, Connecticut set up for the last shot against the Dream with the score tied. But the Sun turned the ball over, and Atlanta's Tiffany Hayes hit a half-court shot for the 86-83 win.

"It's tough (to lose that way), but we can't let it get down to that point," said Rachel Banham, who has six of her 11 3-pointers over the last two games. "We had a chance to really put them away."

Jonquel Jones came off the bench to collect 19 points and seven rebounds for Connecticut, and Benham scored 15 points in the loss that left the Sun in the eighth and final playoff spot.

 

[Cnotes53]

Cambage, Wings try to soar past Sky

Center Liz Cambage and the red-hot Dallas Wings will go for their eighth win in the past nine games when they visit the Chicago Sky on Friday night at Wintrust Arena.

Dallas (14-9) is coming off a 90-81 win over the Washington Mystics in a nationally televised game Thursday night. The victory put the Wings a season-high five games above .500 as they seek their first winning record in three seasons since the franchise moved from Tulsa.

Cambage has put the team on her back during its recent hot streak. She set a WNBA single-game scoring record by scoring 53 points with 10 rebounds and five blocks on Tuesday in a win over the New York Liberty. Two nights later, she led Dallas with 35 points on 12-for-23 shooting to go along with 17 rebounds and four assists.

Cambage's 88 points marks the most in a two-game span in WNBA history. The previous record holder was Minnesota Lynx forward Maya Moore, who once scored 80 points in back-to-back contests.

Cambage is also the first player since Moore in 2014 to record back-to-back games with at least 30 points and 10 rebounds.

Players across the WNBA have reached out to Cambage during her historic run.

"I've already had a lot of the girls reach out, (like) Candace Parker," Cambage said. "It means a lot to see other players feeling it and wishing me well after a game like that."

It will be up to Chicago (7-16) to try to put a stop to the Wings' wild success. The Sky enter the game as underdogs after losing each of their past four contests, with each of those losses coming by double digits.

Allie Quigley leads the Sky with 16.1 points per game. Rookie Diamond DeShields also has provided a bright spot to an otherwise dreary season for Chicago by averaging 13.4 points and 4.9 rebounds.

Quigley acknowledged that opposing defenses have paid extra attention to stopping her as of late.

"I just have to read the defense and if they're taking something away, sometimes I just have to be OK with cutting away and spacing the floor," Quigley said to the Chicago Daily Herald. "It's just about reading the defense and not overthinking it. I am (getting more defensive attention). But you just have to adjust to it."

Courtney Vandersloot (10.9 points per game) and Cheyenne Parker (9.6 points) are next on the Sky scoring list.

The Wings have plenty of firepower in addition to Cambage. Four other players scored in double digits in Thursday's win over Washington, including the backcourt tandem of Azura Stevens (11 points) and Skylar Diggins-Smith (10). Meanwhile, forwards Kayla Thornton (15) and Glory Johnson (13) also enjoyed strong performances.

Chicago is 5-7 at home. Dallas is 5-6 on the road.

 

[Cnotes53]

Numbers don't add up for Fever against Sparks

Sometimes, the stats just don't lie.

Los Angeles has had an up-and-down season, while Indiana's has mostly been down. The one bright spot for the 2-21 Fever was a win over defending champion Minnesota. On Thursday, they get a chance to knock off the Sparks, the other team involved in the past two WNBA titles, when the two collide at Staples Center in Los Angeles.

But defeating the Sparks (14-9) is going to be a tall order for the Fever.

Just look at the stats.

While the Sparks' offense averages a pedestrian 79.4 points per game, the Fever are dead last at 75.2. Los Angeles is much more efficient, connecting on 46.3 percent of its field-goal attempts, including 35.4 percent of their shots beyond the arc.

Indiana shoots a league-worst 40.9 percent from the field and only 31.6 percent from 3-point range.

The Sparks, surprisingly with such a dominant front court anchored by Nneka Ogwumike and Candace Parker, is the worst rebounding team in the league at 30.1 boards per game.

The Sparks make up for that deficiency on defense. They allow only 77.4 points per game while the Fever give up 85.3 points per game.

The two teams played back in May in Indiana with the Sparks walking away with an 87-70 victory. Parker didn't play as she recovered from offseason back issues. Ogwumike scored 25 and got plenty of help from Odyssey Sims (17 points) and Chelsea Gray (12 points).

The Fever were held to 38.7 percent from the field and committed 14 turnovers.

In a June 19 game at Staples, the Sparks held the Fever to 55 points in a 19-point win. Only the New York Liberty have scored fewer points (54 in a loss to the Sparks on June 24) this season.

The Fever made just 30.4 percent of their field-goal attempt and only 3 of 14 from 3-point range. They also turned the ball over 17 times.

Despite their struggles, Fever head coach Pokey Chatman remains upbeat.

"We're not dealing with the reloading of things," Chatman said. "We just have to continue to fight through the adversity and make sure we stay connected to the message and trust the process. We need to have some grit and some plucky about us, and get some stuff done."

The Sparks have had their share of adversity as they prepare to face the Fever for a third and final time. Los Angeles already has lost more games this season than in the past two seasons.

But Indiana has lost five straight, their most recent loss on Wednesday on the road against the Lynx.

Candace Dupree led the Fever with 20 points. But of more importance, she became only the eighth player in league history to record 2,700 rebounds.

"People talk about moral victories, for me it's about being disciplined and what you're capable of doing," Chatman said. "At the end of the day, if five Olympians and having many All-Stars gets the best of you, I'll sleep at night."

As if the Sparks need even more of an advantage, while the Fever were on the road, Los Angeles has been resting up since a deceiving 21-point win on the road Sunday against upstart Las Vegas.

Typical of the Sparks, it was their defense that paved the way to victory.

There were 19 lead changes and the Aces were up by one with just under nine minutes when the Sparks went on an 18-3 run to win the rubber match between the two this season. The Sparks outscored the Aces 35-15 in the fourth.

"Our defense was pretty good," Sparks head coach Brian Agler said. "When you start making shots your offense looks good. ... We finished the game very strong. People don't know how difficult this league is."

Los Angeles' balance was on display and Parker took notice after nearly recording a triple-double (34 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists).

"Every game is different is terms of us being talented on our team that I think anybody can step up and have a big game," she said.

Gray did just that -- step up in a big way. She didn't miss a shot going 9-for-9 from the field.

The Sparks might just be ready to hit their stride, Parker said. And that's bad news for the rest of the contenders.

"In order for us to be considered be great, we have to play consistently," Parker said after the win in Las Vegas. "This was a great start and great game at the right direction."

 

[Cnotes53]

FRIDAY, JULY 20
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

SEA at CONN 07:00 PM
SEA +2.5
O 173.5

DAL at CHI 09:00 PM
DAL -7.5
U 178.5

IND at LA 10:30 PM
IND +15.5
U 155.0

 

[Cnotes53]

Vandersloot has triple-double to help Sky beat Wings
July 20, 2018

CHICAGO (AP) Courtney Vandersloot became the seventh player to have a triple-double in WNBA history, finishing with 13 points, 10 rebounds and a career-best 15 assists in the Chicago Sky's 114-99 victory over the Dallas Wings on Friday night.

Vandersloot set a franchise record with 10 first-half assists and tied her team mark of 14 midway through the third quarter. Ticha Penicheiro holds the league record with 16, which she accomplished twice - in 1998 and 2002.

Kahleah Copper scored a career-high 23 points on 9-of-10 shooting to help Chicago (8-16) snap a four-game losing streak. Allie Quigley added 21 points as the Sky scored the most points in franchise history, topping 107.

Dallas center Elizabeth Cambage's consecutive games with 35-plus points came to an end after being double-teamed for much of the game. She finished with 23 points for her 13th 20-point game of the season.

Skylar Diggins-Smith added 21 points for Dallas (14-10), and Azura Stevens had 14 points and a career-high nine rebounds.

STORM 78, SUN 65

UNCASVILLE, Conn. (AP) - Jewell Loyd scored 20 of her season-high 31 points in the second half to help WNBA-leading Seattle beat Connecticut.

Loyd was 11 of 15 from the field - hitting four of Seattle's 11 3-pointers.

Sue Bird added 17 points and three 3-pointers to help Seattle (18-6) win for the eighth time on the road this season. She moved into third, passing Becky Hammon, in WNBA history with her 830th 3-pointer. Breanna Stewart chipped in with 10 points on 3-of-11 shooting.

Chiney Ogwumike had 21 points and 12 rebounds for Connecticut (12-12).


FEVER 78. SPARKS 76

 

[Cnotes53]

SCHEDULE FOR SATURDAY JULY 21, 2018
Time (ET) Away Home Site
3:00 PM Washington Mystics New York Liberty Westchester County Center
10:00 PM Minnesota Lynx Phoenix Mercury Talking Stick Resort Arena


************


Wnba july record: Overall picks.

Date w-l-t % units record

07/20/2018 3-3-0 50.00% -1.50
07/19/2018 3-3-0 50.00% -1.50
07/18/2018 2-0-0 100.00% +10.00
07/17/2018 1-0-1 100.00% +5.00
07/15/2018 2-8-0 20.00% -34.00
07/14/2018 0-2-0 0.00% -11.00
07/13/2018 4-4-0 50.00% -2.00
07/12/2018 2-0-0 100.00% +10.00
07/10/2018 4-2-0 66.67% +9.00
07/08/2018 1-4-1 20.00% -17.00
07/07/2018 2-4-0 33.33% -12.00
07/06/2018 1-1-0 50.00% -0.50
07/05/2018 3-4-1 42.86% -7.00
07/03/2018 5-3-0 62.50% +8.50
07/01/2018 3-7-0 30.00% -23.50

totals...........36-45.........44.44%.....-67.50


july's best bets:

07/20/2018.................2 - 1..............+4.50.......................1 - 2................-6.00...............-1.50
07/19/2018.................2 - 1..............+4.50.......................1 - 2................-6.00...............-1.50
07/18/2018.................1 - 0..............+5.00.......................1 - 0................+5.00..............+10.00
07/17/2018.................1 - 0..............+5.00.......................0 - 0................+0.00..............+5.00
07/15/2018.................1 - 4..............-17.00.......................1 - 4................-17.00.............-34.00
07/14/2018.................0 - 1...............-5.50........................0 - 1................-5.50...............-11.00
07/13/2018.................3 - 1...............+9.50.......................1 - 3................-11.50.............-2.00
07/12/2018.................1 - 0...............+5.00.......................1 - 0.................+5.00.............+10.00
07/10/2018.................3 - 0...............+15.00......................2- 1................+4.50.............+19.50
07/08/2018.................0 - 2...............-11.00.......................1 - 2................-6.00..............-17.00
07/07/2018.................1 - 2................-6.00........................1 - 2......,.........-6.00..............-12.00
07/06/2018.................0 - 1................-5.50........................1 - 0...............+5.00..............-0.50
07/05/2018.................2 - 1...............+4.50........................1 - 3...............-11.50.............-7.00
07/03/2018.................2 - 2................-1.00........................3 - 1...............+9.50..............+8.50
07/01/2018.................1 - 4................-17.00......................2 - 3................-6.50...............-23.50

totals.....................20- 20..................-10.00....................17 - 24...............-47.00..............-57.00

 

[Cnotes53]

Armadillo: Saturday's six-pack

Odds to win the Big X football championship:

4-5? Oklahoma Sooners

5-2? Texas Longhorns

6-1? TCU, West Virginia

8-1? Oklahoma State Cowboys

25-1? Iowa State Cyclones

30-1? Kansas State Wildcats


**********

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

13) Lot of nights while you?re sleeping, I?m watching movies, listening to music and researching obscure facts/trends that I can use in this space. Sometimes the stuff I find is useful, sometimes it is useless, you never know- the research is what makes it interesting.

Other night I was thinking about how NFL coaches in their first year with a team do in their first game with that team, so I spent a few hours looking it up.

12) Biggest trend I could find is that those teams with new head coaches went under the total 55.6% of the time (74-59-3) since 1998. Eliminate Dallas (over 5-0) and the Rams (over 4-1) and under becomes 73-50-3 (59.3%).

11) Teams with new coaches went 68-60-8 vs spread, 47-40-6 as underdogs. Nothing huge there. My thought in looking this up is that you have to examine the situation each team is in.

Last year, the Rams opened at home against Indianapolis; only a fool would?ve laid points with a Rams? squad that had been pointspread poison for several years, but the Colts were starting Scott Tolzien at QB and he shouldn?t be a starter in the Canadian League.

Rams won 46-9. Sometimes life is simple. Most times it isn?t.

10) For the record, there are seven NFL teams this season with new coaches: Cardinals, Bears, Lions, Colts, Giants, Raiders and Titans.

Of those seven, three are favored in Week 1: Lions, Titans, Colts.

9) Clemson signed defensive coordinator Brent Venables a 5-year contract for $11.6M, the biggest contract ever given to a college football assistant coach.

$2,320,000 a year for a defensive coordinator? They better have a damn good defense.

8) There is an actor named Marc Blucas who has been in 64 movies/TV shows, including a starring role in USA Network?s Necessary Roughness and guest shots on Arli$$, CSI and Blue Bloods.

When he was in college, Blucas played basketball at Wake Forest, where one of his teammates was a guy named Tim Duncan.

7) In 2015, the White Sox had a payroll of $118,619,378; this year, their payroll is $71,217,000 so of course they?re still terrible, Jose Abreu is their best player and he will be 32 when next season starts. There aren?t any prized pitching prospects on the horizon, unless you count Michael Kopech, who has walked 57 batters in 88.1 IP this year in AAA? not good.

6) Five years ago, the Astros had a payroll of $26,105,600 and were an awful team- five short years later, they?re World Champs and their payroll is $160,393,900? it figures to swell even further with McCullers, Bregman and Correa all making less than $3M a year this season.

5) Then there are the Mets, a dreadful team with a payroll of $150,558,894.

Jay Bruce, David Wright and AJ Ramos are getting paid a combined $40M this season. Yoenis Cespedes is making $29M; Friday was his first game since May 13.

4) Yogi Ferrell backed out of a contract agreement with the Dallas Mavericks, after agreeing to a two-year, $5.3M deal earlier this week. His agent said: ?We felt uncomfortable and will weigh our options.? He must have some better options than $2.65M a year.

3) St Louis 1B Matt Carpenter was 5-5 with three homers, two doubles Friday; his 16 total bases was only three bases shy of the all-time record. They took him out in the 6th inning; teams play a twin bill Saturday, plus the Cubs had position players pitching at that point. In his career, by the way, Carpenter is 22 for 42 with the bases loaded.

Reminds me that a very underrated baseball record is most total bases in one game, held by Shawn Green, who had 19 total bases in a game. Tough to do; four HR?s still leaves you short.

2) Jameis Winston is out for the Buccaneers? first three games, so how will Tampa Bay coach Dirk Koetter dispense playing time in exhibition games this summer?

Have to protect Ryan Fitzpatrick, because if he gets hurt then Tampa Bay is really screwed in Weeks 1-3, but he needs work to get ready, too. Winston also needs work, so that he isn?t too rusty when he comes back in Week 4. Maybe Winston plays more in the 4th exhibition game, when starters usually rest?

1) Here?s a solid stat to close with today: over the last 15 years, the Super Bowl loser is 2-13 vs spread in their first game the following season, 2-10 when favored.

 

[Cnotes53]

WNBA
Dunkel

Saturday, July 21


Washington @ New York

Game 601-602
July 21, 2018 @ 3:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Washington
108.437
New York
105.942
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Washington
by 2 1/2
169
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Washington
by 4 1/2
164
Dunkel Pick:
New York
(+4 1/2); Over

Minnesota @ Phoenix

Game 603-604
July 21, 2018 @ 10:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Minnesota
109.821
Phoenix
108.303
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Minnesota
by 1 1/2
169
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Phoenix
by 1 1/2
160 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Minnesota
(+1 1/2); Over




WNBA
Long Sheet

Saturday, July 21

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

WASHINGTON (13 - 10) at NEW YORK (7 - 16) - 7/21/2018, 3:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
WASHINGTON is 323-382 ATS (-97.2 Units) in all games since 1997.
WASHINGTON is 24-45 ATS (-25.5 Units) after 3 or more consecutive unders since 1997.
NEW YORK is 106-76 ATS (+22.4 Units) after a loss by 10 points or more since 1997.
NEW YORK is 5-12 ATS (-8.2 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 77+ points/game this season.

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

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

MINNESOTA (13 - 10) at PHOENIX (15 - 9) - 7/21/2018, 10:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
MINNESOTA is 5-12 ATS (-8.2 Units) after scoring 75 points or more this season.
PHOENIX is 12-5 ATS (+6.5 Units) after scoring 75 points or more this season.
PHOENIX is 4-12 ATS (-9.2 Units) in home games after allowing 75 points or more over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
MINNESOTA is 9-3 against the spread versus PHOENIX over the last 3 seasons
MINNESOTA is 11-1 straight up against PHOENIX over the last 3 seasons
7 of 12 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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




WNBA

Saturday, July 21

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

Washington Mystics
Washington is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games
Washington is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Washington's last 9 games
Washington is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing New York
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Washington's last 5 games when playing New York
Washington is 6-2 ATS in its last 8 games when playing on the road against New York
Washington is 8-17 SU in its last 25 games when playing on the road against New York
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Washington's last 5 games when playing on the road against New York
New York Liberty
New York is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games
New York is 3-10 SU in its last 13 games
New York is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games when playing Washington
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of New York's last 5 games when playing Washington
New York is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games when playing at home against Washington
New York is 17-8 SU in its last 25 games when playing at home against Washington
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of New York's last 5 games when playing at home against Washington


Minnesota Lynx
Minnesota is 3-5-1 ATS in its last 9 games
Minnesota is 10-4 SU in its last 14 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Minnesota's last 5 games
Minnesota is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Minnesota's last 5 games on the road
Minnesota is 12-3 ATS in its last 15 games when playing Phoenix
Minnesota is 14-1 SU in its last 15 games when playing Phoenix
Minnesota is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Phoenix
Minnesota is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Phoenix
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Minnesota's last 9 games when playing on the road against Phoenix
Phoenix Mercury
Phoenix is 13-6 ATS in its last 19 games
Phoenix is 13-6 SU in its last 19 games
Phoenix is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games
Phoenix is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Phoenix's last 5 games at home
Phoenix is 3-12 ATS in its last 15 games when playing Minnesota
Phoenix is 1-14 SU in its last 15 games when playing Minnesota
Phoenix is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against Minnesota
Phoenix is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Minnesota
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Phoenix's last 9 games when playing at home against Minnesota

 

[Cnotes53]

Washington's Delle Donne looks to burn Liberty again

Twice the New York Liberty could not stop Elena Delle Donne from making clutch shots in the fourth quarter.

First, she sank a dramatic buzzer beater on June 28 to lift the Washington Mystics to an 80-77 win. A week later, she scored 11 of her 21 points in the fourth quarter to help the Mystics secure a double-digit win over the Liberty.

The venue will change but the priority for New York remains trying to contain Delle Donne and the rest of the Mystics Saturday afternoon at the Westchester Civic Center in White Plains, N.Y.

Delle Donne is averaging 21.5 points on 42 percent shooting in the first two meetings, and two weeks ago against New York, she made 4 of 6 shots in the final 10 minutes on a night when the forward shot 8 of 19.

"This is a big one. I've never had one that had to be so quick. This one flew by really fast," Delle Donne said after hitting the buzzer-beater in the first meeting with New York. "My teammates made it the most fun I've ever had."

Since Delle Donne's last clutch performance against the Liberty, Washington (13-10) is 2-4 in its last six games. Delle Donne also is coming off one of her worst outings when she was 3 of 14 from the floor and was held to nine points in an 81-70 loss to the Dallas Wings on Thursday.

It was the third time Delle Donne was held to single digits, and the Mystics are hoping the follow up resembles what she did following an eight-point showing against Minnesota on June 7. Six days later she totaled 36 points on 13-of-22 shooting in a 95-91 win at Connecticut.

Delle Donne's quiet night was hardly the lone problem for Washington against Dallas. The Mystics were unable to stop Liz Cambage, who torched the Mystics for 35 points two days after setting the league record with 53 against the Liberty.

If Delle Donne has a quiet showing, the Mystics will be intrigued to see whether LaToya Sanders can follow up her career-high 25-point showing from Thursday or whether Kristi Tolliver can rebound from going 3 of 12 from the floor.

New York is hoping not to allow another record-setting performance. After getting dominated by Cambage, the Liberty allowed Renee Montgomery to set a team record by hitting seven 3-pointers for the Atlanta Dream in the Dream's 82-68 victory on Thursday.

New York's two losses in Washington are part of a stretch of 10 losses in the past 13 games for the Liberty, who are 4-8 at home.

Tina Charles combined for 44 points in the two losses in Washington but often has little help. She was the lone New York player in double figures Thursday with 11 points and the Liberty are 2-11 when Charles does not get at least 20 points.

 

[Cnotes53]

Mercury still looking to get back on track vs. Lynx

The Phoenix Mercury thought returning home for only the second time in the last 10 games could rejuvenate the team after losing three games on a four-game road trip.

The Mercury, however, are still searching for answers after their 85-82 loss to the Las Vegas Aces on Thursday night at the Talking Stick Resort Arena. The loss dropped Phoenix to 15-9, still the second-best record in the WNBA behind the Seattle Storm (18-6).

The Mercury next shift their focus to the defending champion Minnesota Lynx, who are trying to battle back from a recent skid of their own after losing three of four games.

But the once-dominant Mercury, who won four straight games before their recent woes, are closer in the loss column to No. 8 (and final playoff spot) Connecticut (12-11) than they are to the Storm. Las Vegas is the No. 9 team with an 11-13 record.

"The biggest thing for us is that we're not ready to play," said Phoenix coach Sandy Bordello, whose team failed to beat the Las Vegas franchise, previously the San Antonio Stars, for the first time in 10 games. "We're not bringing the focus, the intent, or the energy to compete against anyone in the WBNA.

"We didn't bring our energy at the start of the game, and then we had to exert so much energy to get back into the game. We lost that game because of unforced turnovers leading to easy layups. No one is feeling sorry for us, and we need to make sure we are bringing it every single game."

The Aces' defense turned 16 Mercury turnovers into 25 points, 14 of which were in transition.

All-Stars Diana Taurasi (season-high 33 points with six assists and five rebounds) and Brittney Griner (sixth double-double of the season with 19 points and 10 rebounds) played well, but the Mercury lacked balance and consistency against the Aces. Taurasi and Griner combined to make only 15 of 38 shots from the field.

Meanwhile, the Lynx (13-10) started to get on the right track in their last game Wednesday in an 89-65 rout of the visiting Indiana Fever.

Post player Sylvia Fowles posted her third 30-plus point game as a member of the Lynx with a season-high 30 points on 13-of-15 shooting. She also grabbed 16 boards, notching her league-best 14th double-double of the season and 141st of her career.

"That's the beauty of our team -- it's a good thing that we've got a lot of veterans where you can go back and watch film and have conversations with each other and just think about how we can help in different aspects," Fowles said of the win after the recent bad stretch.

"We know that our last game (an 83-64 loss at home to Connecticut last Sunday) wasn't our best, but we're pushing forward. I'm happy that we've got games that come quick, so we can get it over with."

This will be the third and last meeting of the teams this season. Phoenix and Minnesota split the previous two games, each winning on the road. The Lynx beat the Mercury 83-72 in the last meeting on June 22 at the Talking Stick Resort Arena.

 

[Cnotes53]

SATURDAY, JULY 21
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

WAS at NY 03:00 PM
NY +4.5
U 164.5

MIN at PHO 10:00 PM
PHO -2.5
O 159.0

 

[Cnotes53]

Delle Donne, Mystics rout Liberty, 95-78
July 21, 2018

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. (AP) When Elena Delle Donne gets going early, it makes the Washington Mystics' offense flow so much better.

The All-Star captain had 15 of her 30 points in the opening period to help Washington beat the New York Liberty 95-78 on Saturday.

''It definitely helps the spread the floor better when I'm hitting shots,'' said Delle Donne, who also had 10 rebounds.

She hit all six of her shots in the opening period, including three 3-pointers - most of them just swishing through the net.

The Mystics won for only the second time in their past six games and sit in a three-way tie for fourth in the league.

''Every game matter so much,'' Delle Donne said. ''It's going to be a sprint to the finish.''

Washington (14-10) led by eight at the half, and Delle Donne and Kristi Toliver combined for 20 points of the team's 32 points in the third quarter to extend the advantage to 75-53. Toliver finished with 19 points and eight assists.

New York (7-17) tried to get back in the game behind rookie Kia Nurse, who had eight straight points during one stretch to get the Liberty within 11. But that's as close as they could come.

''Excellent effort in the fourth quarter by all who came in,'' Liberty coach Katie Smith said. ''. Maybe we can bottle that up and get four quarters of that.''

New York is all but assured of missing the playoffs this season after making the postseason the past three years.

''It's going to be rough to try to get in,'' Smith said. ''But I think for us, it's going out every night and being proud of what we did that night and proud of how we played, proud of our effort. It's tough to win in this league anyways.''

Tina Charles scored 22 points, including her 3,000th in New York. Sugar Rodgers added 16 for the Liberty.

SWATTING AWAY THE RECORD BOOK:

Kiah Stokes tied the franchise record for career blocks, equaling the mark of 155 set by Sue Wicks of 155.

TRAINING ROOM:

Mystics: Natasha Cloud is still out with a concussion. Coach Mike Thibault hopes to have her back soon.

Liberty: Epiphanny Prince (left eye) and Shavonte Zellous (right ankle) missed the game because of injuries they suffered in a loss to Atlanta.

UP NEXT:

Mystics: Visit Connecticut on Tuesday in their last game before the All-Star break.

Liberty: Visit Minnesota on Tuesday in their last game before the All-Star break.


***********************

LYNX 80, MERCURY 75


**************************



Wnba july record: Overall picks.

Date w-l-t % units record

07/21/2018 0-4-0 0.00% -22.00
07/20/2018 3-3-0 50.00% -1.50
07/19/2018 3-3-0 50.00% -1.50
07/18/2018 2-0-0 100.00% +10.00
07/17/2018 1-0-1 100.00% +5.00
07/15/2018 2-8-0 20.00% -34.00
07/14/2018 0-2-0 0.00% -11.00
07/13/2018 4-4-0 50.00% -2.00
07/12/2018 2-0-0 100.00% +10.00
07/10/2018 4-2-0 66.67% +9.00
07/08/2018 1-4-1 20.00% -17.00
07/07/2018 2-4-0 33.33% -12.00
07/06/2018 1-1-0 50.00% -0.50
07/05/2018 3-4-1 42.86% -7.00
07/03/2018 5-3-0 62.50% +8.50
07/01/2018 3-7-0 30.00% -23.50

totals...........36-49.........42.35%.....-89.50


july's best bets:

07/21/2018.................0 - 2..............-11.00......................0 - 2................-11.00.............-22.00
07/20/2018.................2 - 1..............+4.50.......................1 - 2................-6.00...............-1.50
07/19/2018.................2 - 1..............+4.50.......................1 - 2................-6.00...............-1.50
07/18/2018.................1 - 0..............+5.00.......................1 - 0................+5.00..............+10.00
07/17/2018.................1 - 0..............+5.00.......................0 - 0................+0.00..............+5.00
07/15/2018.................1 - 4..............-17.00.......................1 - 4................-17.00.............-34.00
07/14/2018.................0 - 1...............-5.50........................0 - 1................-5.50...............-11.00
07/13/2018.................3 - 1...............+9.50.......................1 - 3................-11.50.............-2.00
07/12/2018.................1 - 0...............+5.00.......................1 - 0.................+5.00.............+10.00
07/10/2018.................3 - 0...............+15.00......................2- 1................+4.50.............+19.50
07/08/2018.................0 - 2...............-11.00.......................1 - 2................-6.00..............-17.00
07/07/2018.................1 - 2................-6.00........................1 - 2......,.........-6.00..............-12.00
07/06/2018.................0 - 1................-5.50........................1 - 0...............+5.00..............-0.50
07/05/2018.................2 - 1...............+4.50........................1 - 3...............-11.50.............-7.00
07/03/2018.................2 - 2................-1.00........................3 - 1...............+9.50..............+8.50
07/01/2018.................1 - 4................-17.00......................2 - 3................-6.50...............-23.50

totals.....................20- 22..................-21.00....................17 - 26...............-58.00..............-79.00

 

[Cnotes53]

Sunday?s 6-pack

Odds to win the AAC football championship:
5-4? Central Florida Knights
5-2? Houston Cougars
3-1? Memphis Tigers
7-1? South Florida Bulls
8-1? Navy Midshipmen
40-1? SMU, Tulane

Quote of the Day
?That was awesome. I was close to taking off my shirt (because it was so hot). Whoever is sending these ?please be safe, I?m glad you?re OK messages,? come on I?m stuck on an elevator, I?m not stuck on an airplane?
Orioles OF Adam Jones, who was stuck in an elevator after Friday night?s loss in Toronto.

Sunday?s quiz
Who holds the major league record for reaching base safely in the most consecutive games?

Saturday?s quiz
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is most famous for playing for the Lakers, but he started his NBA career with the Milwaukee Bucks.

Friday?s quiz
51 of the Cincinnati Reds? games before the All-Star break went over the total, most in the major leagues.


******************************

Sunday?s List of 13: Nobody asked me, but??.

13) Damn, there was some serious drama in my neighborhood Saturday.

I live on a quiet suburban street just outside Albany; went out to meet my cousin for dinner at 7:00 last night and Central Avenue, the main street in town, was totally barracaded off west of my street by the local police. That never happens here.

Turns out a Cadillac was speeding in the eastbound lanes towards Albany and the police gave chase? finally the Cadillac smashed into one of the police cars. The Cadillac was disabled on the side of the road, missing a tire. Everyone was OK- they shut down the road to do the CSI-type re-creation of the scene, for the investigation of whatever other crime there was.

12) So a word of thanks to the Colonie Police for protecting us and keeping our town safe.

11) Bad news for the Mets: Yoenis Cespedes says the cause of his medical issues is calcification in both heels. He says the only way to fix the issue is surgery; the recovery time is apparently 8-10 months. Might as well get it done now, right?

Eight months from today is March 21, just before Opening Day for 2019.

10) This from an outstanding article written by West Virginia alum/Memphis Grizzlies? rookie Jevon Carter, talking about practices under his college coach, Bob Huggins:

?And the treadmill was our punishment if we made a mistake in practice. If your guy was able to dribble to the middle of the court while you were guarding him, you had to get off the court and get on the treadmill and run 18 mph for 45 seconds. Right on the side of the court. Allow an offensive rebound ? you?re on the treadmill. Let your guy drive past you. Treadmill. Turn the ball over. Allow an uncontested layup, miss a box out, lag getting back on D ? you?re running.?

9) Red Sox are 28-8 vs Tampa Bay, Toronto, Baltimore this season; New York is 19-13 vs those teams, and that is why the Red Sox are leading the AL East.

8) Colorado CF Charlie Blackmon was miked during the All-Star Game; he was explaining how at Coors Field in the high altitude, balls don?t slice away/towards outfielders as much as they do in other ballparks. Interesting knowledge.

7) Rutgers? football team has its 9th offensive coordinator in nine season this year.

Utah has had eight OC?s in ten years, but at least this year they have the same OC they had this year, so maybe a little continuity for once will help the Utes.

6) Red Sox have had 73 games started by lefty pitchers this season, most in the big leagues.

5) Baseball doings:
? Rockies? 2B DJ LeMahieu strained his oblique.
? Cardinals? P Carlos Martinez strained his oblique.

4) Carmelo Anthony took 463 jump shots last year that were outside the paint and inside the 3-point arc, otherwise known as mid-range shots. Analytics people hate mid-range jumpers.

The entire Houston Rockets team took 562 mid-range jumpers last year, so if Anthony signs with the Rockets, his shot selection will be interesting to track.

3) In the CFL, coaches can challenge pass interference calls via replay, which is interesting. Not sure if I like that or not, but its something different.

2) Washington Wizards will finally have their own G-League affiliate this winter, making 27 NBA teams with their own G-League team. Only three teams that don?t have one: Pelicans, Trailblazers and the Nuggets.

1) Cardinals? IF Matt Carpenter has now homered in six consecutive games; he didn?t start in Game 2 of Saturday?s doubleheader, but pinch-hit in the 7th inning and homered. MLB record is eight straight games with a home run.

 

[Cnotes53]

SCHEDULE FOR SUNDAY JULY 22, 2018
Time (ET) Away Home Site
3:00 PM Seattle Storm Atlanta Dream McCamish Pavilion
4:00 PM Connecticut Sun Dallas Wings College Park Center
6:00 PM Indiana Fever Las Vegas Aces Mandalay Bay Event Center
6:00 PM Los Angeles Sparks Chicago Sky Wintrust Arena


*******************


League Standings

RANK TEAM W L PCT GB CONF HOME ROAD L-10 STREAK

#1 Seattle Storm 18 6 0.750 - 7-5 10-4 8-2 8-2 W 3

#2 Atlanta Dream 14 9 0.609 3.5 10-3 8-3 6-6 7-3 W 6

#3 Phoenix Mercury 15 10 0.600 3.5 6-6 5-5 10-5 5-5 L 2

#4 Minnesota Lynx 14 10 0.583 4 8-4 7-5 7-5 6-4 W 2

#5 Los Angeles Sparks 14 10 0.583 4 7-6 8-5 6-5 3-7 L 1

#6 Dallas Wings 14 10 0.583 4 6-8 9-3 5-7 7-3 L 1

#7 Washington Mystics 14 10 0.583 4 10-3 8-5 6-5 5-5 W 1

#8 Connecticut Sun 12 12 0.500 6 6-6 6-4 6-8 4-6 L 2

#9 Las Vegas Aces 11 13 0.458 7 4-9 5-6 6-7 6-4 W 1

#10 Chicago Sky 8 16 0.333 10 4-7 6-7 2-9 3-7 W 1

#11 New York Liberty 7 17 0.292 11 6-7 4-9 3-8 3-7 L 3

#12 Indiana Fever 3 21 0.125 15 1-11 1-11 2-10 2-8 W 1

 

[Cnotes53]

WNBA
Dunkel

Sunday, July 22


Seattle @ Atlanta

Game 605-606
July 22, 2018 @ 3:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Seattle
117.644
Atlanta
112.992
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Seattle
by 4 1/2
161
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Seattle
by 1
164 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Seattle
(-1); Under

Connecticut @ Dallas

Game 607-608
July 22, 2018 @ 4:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Connecticut
105.419
Dallas
118.402
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Dallas
by 13
159
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Dallas
by 4 1/2
178 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Dallas
(-4 1/2); Under

Indiana @ Las Vegas

Game 609-610
July 22, 2018 @ 6:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Indiana
102.374
Las Vegas
108.778
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Las Vegas
by 6 1/2
170
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Las Vegas
by 9
165 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Indiana
(+9); Over

Los Angeles @ Chicago

Game 611-612
July 22, 2018 @ 6:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Los Angeles
110.042
Chicago
105.567
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Los Angeles
by 4 1/2
185
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Los Angeles
No Line
N/A
Dunkel Pick:
Los Angeles
N/A




WNBA
Long Sheet

Sunday, July 22

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

SEATTLE (18 - 6) at ATLANTA (14 - 9) - 7/22/2018, 3:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
SEATTLE is 1-8 ATS (-7.8 Units) off an upset win as an underdog over the last 2 seasons.
ATLANTA is 7-1 ATS (+5.9 Units) in July games this season.
ATLANTA is 10-1 ATS (+8.9 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
ATLANTA is 7-1 ATS (+5.9 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 77+ points/game after 15+ games this season.
SEATTLE is 8-2 ATS (+5.8 Units) in road games this season.
SEATTLE is 8-2 ATS (+5.8 Units) in a road game where where the total is greater than or equal to 150 this season.
SEATTLE is 7-0 ATS (+7.0 Units) in road games in July games over the last 2 seasons.
SEATTLE is 8-2 ATS (+5.8 Units) in road games in May, June, or July games this season.
SEATTLE is 8-2 ATS (+5.8 Units) after a non-conference game this season.
SEATTLE is 15-6 ATS (+8.4 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record after 15+ games over the last 3 seasons.
SEATTLE is 6-0 ATS (+6.0 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 77+ points/game after 15+ games this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
ATLANTA is 7-2 against the spread versus SEATTLE over the last 3 seasons
ATLANTA is 5-4 straight up against SEATTLE over the last 3 seasons
6 of 8 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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

CONNECTICUT (12 - 12) at DALLAS (14 - 10) - 7/22/2018, 4:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
CONNECTICUT is 1-7 ATS (-6.7 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 77+ points/game after 15+ games this season.
CONNECTICUT is 5-14 ATS (-10.4 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 77+ points/game this season.
CONNECTICUT is 4-12 ATS (-9.2 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 77+ points/game this season.
DALLAS is 16-8 ATS (+7.2 Units) in all games this season.
DALLAS is 16-8 ATS (+7.2 Units) in May, June, or July games this season.
DALLAS is 13-5 ATS (+7.5 Units) after allowing 75 points or more this season.

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

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

INDIANA (3 - 21) at LAS VEGAS (11 - 13) - 7/22/2018, 6:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
INDIANA is 5-13 ATS (-9.3 Units) in July games over the last 2 seasons.
INDIANA is 10-20 ATS (-12.0 Units) after scoring 75 points or more over the last 2 seasons.
LAS VEGAS is 8-2 ATS (+5.8 Units) against Eastern conference opponents this season.
LAS VEGAS is 8-2 ATS (+5.8 Units) in non-conference games this season.
LAS VEGAS is 41-27 ATS (+11.3 Units) after allowing 75 points or more over the last 3 seasons.
LAS VEGAS is 17-36 ATS (-22.6 Units) in home games off an upset win as an underdog since 1997.
LAS VEGAS is 48-71 ATS (-30.1 Units) in home games after scoring 75 points or more since 1997.

Head-to-Head Series History
LAS VEGAS is 6-1 against the spread versus INDIANA over the last 3 seasons
LAS VEGAS is 5-2 straight up against INDIANA over the last 3 seasons
4 of 7 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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

LOS ANGELES (14 - 10) at CHICAGO (8 - 16) - 7/22/2018, 6:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
LOS ANGELES is 8-3 against the spread versus CHICAGO over the last 3 seasons
LOS ANGELES is 10-2 straight up against CHICAGO over the last 3 seasons
6 of 12 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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




WNBA

Sunday, July 22

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

Seattle Storm
Seattle is 8-1 ATS in its last 9 games
Seattle is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games
Seattle is 6-1 ATS in its last 7 games on the road
Seattle is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Seattle's last 10 games on the road
Seattle is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Atlanta
Seattle is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing Atlanta
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Seattle's last 7 games when playing Atlanta
Seattle is 2-8 ATS in its last 10 games when playing on the road against Atlanta
Seattle is 2-8 SU in its last 10 games when playing on the road against Atlanta
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Seattle's last 5 games when playing on the road against Atlanta
Atlanta Dream
Atlanta is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games
Atlanta is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Atlanta's last 6 games
Atlanta is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games at home
Atlanta is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Atlanta's last 12 games at home
Atlanta is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Seattle
Atlanta is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing Seattle
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Atlanta's last 7 games when playing Seattle
Atlanta is 8-2 ATS in its last 10 games when playing at home against Seattle
Atlanta is 8-2 SU in its last 10 games when playing at home against Seattle
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Atlanta's last 5 games when playing at home against Seattle


Connecticut Sun
Connecticut is 1-6 ATS in its last 7 games
Connecticut is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Connecticut's last 5 games
Connecticut is 3-9 ATS in its last 12 games on the road
Connecticut is 3-7 SU in its last 10 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Connecticut's last 5 games on the road
Connecticut is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing Dallas
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Connecticut's last 5 games when playing Dallas
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Connecticut's last 7 games when playing on the road against Dallas
Dallas Wings
Dallas is 7-2 ATS in its last 9 games
Dallas is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games
The total has gone OVER in 11 of Dallas's last 15 games
Dallas is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games at home
Dallas is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
Dallas is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing Connecticut
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Dallas's last 5 games when playing Connecticut
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Dallas's last 7 games when playing at home against Connecticut


Indiana Fever
Indiana is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games
Indiana is 3-22 SU in its last 25 games
Indiana is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
Indiana is 2-17 SU in its last 19 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Indiana's last 11 games on the road
Indiana is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Las Vegas
Indiana is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing Las Vegas
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Indiana's last 5 games when playing Las Vegas
Indiana is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games when playing on the road against Las Vegas
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Indiana's last 6 games when playing on the road against Las Vegas
Las Vegas Aces
Las Vegas is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games
Las Vegas is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Las Vegas's last 7 games
Las Vegas is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Las Vegas's last 5 games at home
Las Vegas is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Indiana
Las Vegas is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing Indiana
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Las Vegas's last 5 games when playing Indiana
Las Vegas is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games when playing at home against Indiana
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Las Vegas's last 6 games when playing at home against Indiana


Los Angeles Sparks
Los Angeles is 3-8 ATS in its last 11 games
Los Angeles is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Los Angeles's last 6 games
Los Angeles is 2-4-1 ATS in its last 7 games on the road
Los Angeles is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Los Angeles's last 10 games on the road
Los Angeles is 10-3-1 ATS in its last 14 games when playing Chicago
Los Angeles is 12-2 SU in its last 14 games when playing Chicago
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Los Angeles's last 5 games when playing Chicago
Los Angeles is 6-1-1 ATS in its last 8 games when playing on the road against Chicago
Los Angeles is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games when playing on the road against Chicago
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Los Angeles's last 11 games when playing on the road against Chicago
Chicago Sky
Chicago is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games
Chicago is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 9 of Chicago's last 13 games
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Chicago's last 8 games at home
Chicago is 3-10-1 ATS in its last 14 games when playing Los Angeles
Chicago is 2-12 SU in its last 14 games when playing Los Angeles
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Chicago's last 5 games when playing Los Angeles
Chicago is 1-6-1 ATS in its last 8 games when playing at home against Los Angeles
Chicago is 1-7 SU in its last 8 games when playing at home against Los Angeles
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Chicago's last 11 games when playing at home against Los Angeles

 

[Cnotes53]

Sunday's WNBA Best Bets
July 21, 2018

For the remainder of the WNBA regular season through the playoffs, we'll take a look at the best Sunday bets.

As an added bonus, here is a preview of Saturday's 10:00 p.m. ET matchup between the Minnesota Lynx (13-10) and Phoenix Mercury (15-9), too.

The Merc are favored by 2 1/2 at most shops, and rightly so. They're 13-6 ATS in their past 19 outings, and 7-3 ATS across the past 10 when working on one day of rest. In addition, Phoenix has posted a 4-1 ATS mark in their past five against teams with an overall winning record. Minnesota has posted a 1-4 ATS mark in their past five after a straight-up win, and they're 0-4 ATS in their past four following a cover. The Lynx have still been good against the number overall, going 4-1 ATS in their past five road games and 5-1 ATS in their past six against the Western Conference. Minnesota has dominated this series of late, at least against the number, going 6-0 ATS in their past six visits to the Valley of the Sun, and 12-3-1 ATS in the past 16 meetings overall. Total bettors will like to know that the 'under' is 21-10-1 ATS in the past 32 meetings in this series, including 7-1-1 in the past nine in Arizona.

Sunday's Games

The Seattle Storm (18-6) make the cross-country trek to meet the Atlanta Dream (14-9) at 3:00 p.m. ET. Both of these teams have been red-hot against the spread, so something's gotta give. Seattle has a perfect 4-0 ATS mark in their past four games away from home, while going 7-1-1 ATS in their past nine games overall. They're also an impressive 5-0-1 ATS in the past six games against Eastern Conference foes, while posting a solid 4-1-1 ATS mark in the past six against teams with an overall winning record. For the Dream, they're 4-0 ATS in the past four home outings, while covering six straight overall. Atlanta has stepped up against the upper-echelon clubs, too, going 10-1 ATS in the past 11 against teams with a winning straight-up record and 4-1 ATS in the past five against the Western Conference.

For those interested in the total, the 'over' has connected in seven of the past 10 away from home for Seattle, but the 'under' is 4-1 in their past five while working on just one day of rest. For Atlanta, the over is 5-2 in their past seven against those with a winning overall mark, but the under is a gaudy 10-2 in the past 12 home games. The over has cashed in four straight meetings between these interconference rivals in Atlanta, while hitting in six of the past seven meetings overall. As far as the spread is concerned, the Storm are 2-8 ATS in their past 10 trips to Atlanta and 1-5 ATS in the past six meetings overall in this series.

In another East vs. West matchup, the spiraling Connecticut Sun (12-12) hook up with the Dallas Wings (14-10) in the Metroplex. It has been a tough road to hoe for Connecticut lately, as they're just 3-9 ATS in the past 12 games away from home, while going a dismal 1-6 ATS in the past seven games overall. They have also managed to cover just once in the past five against Western Conference teams, while posting a 2-9 ATS mark in the past 11 against sides with a winning overall record. For the Wings, they're the complete opposite, going 7-2 ATS in the past nine overall, and 5-1 ATS in the past six against the East. Dallas has also covered five in a row at home, while going an impressive 10-1 ATS in the past 11 following a straight-up loss. The trends for the total are all over the board, with the under dominating for Connecticut, and the over dominated for Dallas. In this series, the over is 3-0-1 in the past four meetings, but the under is 5-2 in the past seven meetings in Texas. It's probably best to avoid the total in this one.

*** BEST BET ALERT: The Wings are a strong play laying the four points on their home floor. Elizabeth Cambage dumped in 35 points and 17 boards against the Mystics last time out, setting a two-game WNBA record with 88 points, breaking the old two-game record of 80 set by Minnesota's Maya Moore in 2014. Cambage also is the first player to post back-to-back 30-plus point games with at least 10 rebounds in each outing since Moore. Soar on Cambage's wings to a cover.

We'll keep a running total of the BEST BETS for the remainder of the season.

It's like Rocky IV up in here. East meets West again in Las Vegas, but it's not Drago vs. Apollo Creed. Instead, it's the Indiana Fever (3-21) and Las Vegas Aces (11-13) who are Living in America. The Fever looked like Apollo Creed against Drago's deafening, precision and steroid-induced blows for most of the season, taking it on the chin. THROW THE TOWEL! But the Fever haven't thrown in the towel, and instead they might come into this one with a little confidence instead. They toppled the Los Angeles Sparks (14-10) by a 78-76 score as 13 1/2-point underdogs, covering and winning for the first time in five outings since stunning the Lynx back on July 3. It's the second time the Fever have won straight-up as a double-digit underdog.

The Aces have been huge against the Eastern Conference dating back to the franchise's days in San Antonio, covering 30 of the past 42 against the East, while going 7-3 ATS in the past 10 against teams with a losing overall record. They have covered four of the past five overall. In this series, the Fever are 0-6 ATS in the past six overall, while the 'under' is 5-1 in the past six meetings in Vegas, while going 4-1 in the past five meetings overall.

*** BEST BET ALERT - PART DEUX: The Aces will win this game by double digits, as the Fever are 3-21 overall for a reason, including 2-10 SU on the road. Lay the 8 1/2 points, sit back, relax and enjoy the Aces.

In the final game of the day, the Sparks host the Chicago Sky (8-16). The Sparks are in desperate need of a confidence builder after dropping their last game against the lowly Fever. L.A. has been very un-L.A.-like this season, winning just three of their past 10 games overall. After starting the season 8-2-1 ATS in the first 11 outings, the Sparks are a poor 4-9 ATS across the past 13. These teams have met twice already this season, with L.A. going 2-0 SU/ATS. They won at home against the Sky on June 10 by a 77-59 score as 14-point favorites, and in Chitown by an 81-72 margin to narrowly covering an 8 1/2-point number. The 'under' also connected in each of the outings.

The Sparks are still 13-3 ATS in the past 16 against losing teams, and 17-7 ATS in the past 24 against Eastern Conference clubs. They're also 16-7 ATS iin the past 23 following a straight-up loss, and 11-5 ATS in the past 16 following a non-cover. Chicago is a poor 10-21 ATS in their past 31 at home, 1-4 ATS in their past five overall and 5-15 ATS in the past 20 games against a team with a straight-up winning record. And, for what it's worth, L.A. is 8-0 ATS in their past eight on Sundays, while Chicago is 3-12 ATS in their past 15 on Sundays. The Sparks are also 7-1 ATS in their past eight forays into the Windy City, and 11-3 ATS in the past 14 meetings overall. The game is currently OFF the board, but look for the Sparks to be favored by at least three buckets, if not more. They'll have success if they can cool off Courtney Vandersloot, who became the seventh woman in WNBA history to post a triple-double last time out against the Wings on Friday.

 

[Cnotes53]

SUNDAY, JULY 22
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

SEA at ATL 03:00 PM
SEA -2.0
U 165.0

CONN at DAL 04:00 PM
CONN +4.0
O 177.0

LA at CHI 06:00 PM
CHI +4.0
U 167.5

IND at LV 06:00 PM
LV -8.0
U 166.0