CNOTES 2018 WNBA PICKS,TRENDS,NOTES,NEWS !

[Cnotes53]

WNBA
Dunkel

Tuesday, September 4


Washington @ Atlanta

Game 611-612
September 4, 2018 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Washington
118.101
Atlanta
113.141
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Washington
157
by 5
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Washington
by 2 1/2
164 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Washington
(-2 1/2); Under

Phoenix @ Seattle

Game 609-610
September 4, 2018 @ 10:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Phoenix
112.008
Seattle
117.993
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Seattle
by 6
176
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Seattle
by 4
170 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Seattle
(-4); Over




WNBA

Tuesday, September 4

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

Washington Mystics
Washington is 2-4-1 ATS in its last 7 games
Washington is 10-3 SU in its last 13 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Washington's last 6 games
Washington is 2-3-1 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
Washington is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games on the road
Washington is 2-4-1 ATS in its last 7 games when playing Atlanta
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Washington's last 6 games when playing Atlanta
Washington is 3-7-2 ATS in its last 12 games when playing on the road against Atlanta
Washington is 6-13 SU in its last 19 games when playing on the road against Atlanta
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Washington's last 5 games when playing on the road against Atlanta
Atlanta Dream
Atlanta is 17-3-1 ATS in its last 21 games
Atlanta is 17-4 SU in its last 21 games
The total has gone UNDER in 12 of Atlanta's last 18 games
Atlanta is 5-0-1 ATS in its last 6 games at home
Atlanta is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 15 of Atlanta's last 20 games at home
Atlanta is 4-7-2 ATS in its last 13 games when playing Washington
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Atlanta's last 6 games when playing Washington
Atlanta is 2-3-2 ATS in its last 7 games when playing at home against Washington
Atlanta is 13-6 SU in its last 19 games when playing at home against Washington
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Atlanta's last 5 games when playing at home against Washington


Phoenix Mercury
Phoenix is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games
Phoenix is 8-2 SU in its last 10 games
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Phoenix's last 9 games
Phoenix is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
Phoenix is 3-6 SU in its last 9 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Phoenix's last 8 games on the road
Phoenix is 16-7 ATS in its last 23 games when playing Seattle
Phoenix is 16-7 SU in its last 23 games when playing Seattle
Phoenix is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing Seattle
Phoenix is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Seattle
Phoenix is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games when playing on the road against Seattle
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Phoenix's last 8 games when playing on the road against Seattle
Seattle Storm
Seattle is 16-7 ATS in its last 23 games
Seattle is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games
Seattle is 18-5 SU in its last 23 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Seattle's last 7 games
Seattle is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Seattle's last 12 games at home
Seattle is 7-16 ATS in its last 23 games when playing Phoenix
Seattle is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing Phoenix
Seattle is 7-16 SU in its last 23 games when playing Phoenix
Seattle is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against Phoenix
Seattle is 3-7 SU in its last 10 games when playing at home against Phoenix
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Seattle's last 8 games when playing at home against Phoenix

 

[Cnotes53]

Mystics-Dream series comes down to decisive Game 5
The Associated Press

The WNBA best-of-five semifinal series between Washington and Atlanta has lived up to its potential, delivering a little of everything in four games played during the past week -- great defense, back-and-forth action, heroic performances, and an offensive eruption by the Mystics that pushed the teams into a win-or-go-home matchup.

That fifth game will be at McCamish Pavilion in Atlanta on Tuesday and the winner will advance to the league finals to face Seattle or Phoenix, who will also play a fifth and deciding game on Tuesday.

The Mystics forced a fifth game with a 97-76 rout of the Dream on Sunday afternoon in Washington. All-Star forward Elena Delle Donne, who missed Game 3 of the series with a left knee bone bruise, returned to pour in 15 points and grab 10 rebounds for Washington.

Kristi Toliver led Washington with 22 points and rookie Ariel Atkins added 19. Natasha Cloud scored 13 and LaToya Sanders had 10 points as the Mystics shot 50 percent from the field.

"Obviously, it's a nice present to see her in uniform ready to go," Washington coach Mike Thibault said of Delle Donne. "She just gives everybody else around her confidence that we kind of got this, that we have the best player in the game on the court. And that helps a lot mentally."

The Mystics put away the Dream via a 22-7 run at the beginning of the fourth quarter after Atlanta had cut Washington's advantage to five points late in the third quarter.

Delle Donne's participation in the series finale will be a game-time decision, the team said, but expect to see the Mystics' "Superwoman" on the court.

Tiffany Hayes, Renee Montgomery, Brittney Sykes and Jessica Breland each scored 12 points for the Dream in Game 4.

"Our mindset is to just to fix our mistakes that we made in this game, look back on it, how can we do better, how can we stick together and bounce back and have a completely different mindset going into the next game and to win," Dream forward Monique Billings said.

Atlanta has home-court advantage for the decisive game, and in a series that has been so evenly played, that could be a huge difference-maker. The Dream, who closed the regular season winning 16 of their final 19 games, haven't lost two in a row since June 27-29.

Atlanta has grabbed 158 rebounds in the four games against Washington, which is a franchise best for a playoff series.

"If you told me in February or May or June, even in early July that we would have one game with a chance to go to the Finals I'd be pretty excited," Atlanta coach Nicki Collen said after the Game 4 loss. "I certainly told (the players) we have to learn from this game, but we also have to flush. We've built up too much momentum to hang our heads."

The teams split the first two games in Atlanta, with the Dream fighting back from a double-digit deficit to win Game 2. Delle Donne averaged 29.5 points and 13.5 rebounds in the first two games.

 

[Cnotes53]

Mercury, Storm meet in Game 5 for trip to finals
The Associated Press

As the Seattle Storm quickly learned, you can never count out Diana Taurasi and the Phoenix Mercury.

Behind Taurasi, Brittney Griner and DeWanna Bonner, who combined for 72 points, the Mercury rallied from a 17-point deficit Sunday to defeat the top-seeded Storm 86-84, forcing a decisive Game 5 in their WNBA semifinal series Tuesday night in Seattle.

"We protected our house, that was our goal," Mercury coach Sandy Brondello said. "We're just very excited that we get to play a fifth game. Obviously, it's on Seattle's home court, but we have played well away from home this year. We'll go in there and put on a good showing and may the best team win."

The Mercury became the first team in league history to force a Game 5 after dropping the first two games of a series. The Storm suffered back-to-back losses for the first time this season.

"It's been a very equal series, which you would expect because the teams are so familiar with each other," Storm coach Dan Hughes said. "But we worked all year to get a chance to play Game 5 at home, so we'll value that."

Storm point guard Sue Bird left Sunday's game with 4:23 left in the first half after suffering a broken nose, the result of an inadvertent elbow from teammate Breanna Stewart, the league's MVP. It was the fifth time Bird has broken her nose in her pro career.

"She's obviously the brain of that team and she kind of makes them go," Taurasi said of Bird, her former UConn teammate. "It was a matter of just buckling down and knowing if we didn't play well, the season was going to be over. They brought their best effort; I think we did too. It comes down to making a couple of plays at the end of the game and we did that (Sunday)."

The Mercury have done that all series. They've outscored the Storm 94-47 in the fourth quarter of the first four games.

The Storm had a 16-point lead in the opener and a 17-point lead in Game 2, both in Seattle, before holding on for 91-87 victories, the latter in overtime.

"These series, they are a grind because you're seeing the same people, the same plays, and it becomes a mind game. ... The momentum seems to be in their favor, and we're going to have to figure out how to switch that back to us," said Bird, who vowed to play in Game 5, albeit likely with a facemask.

 

[Cnotes53]

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 4
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

WAS at ATL 08:00 PM
WAS -3.5
U 159.0

PHO at SEA 10:00 PM
SEA -4.5
O 170.5

 

[Cnotes53]

Mystics earn 1st trip to WNBA Finals, beating Dream 86-81
By By PAUL NEWBERRY

ATLANTA (AP) Elena Delle Donne had a rather quiet night by her high standards.

No worries.

The Washington Mystics are headed to the WNBA Finals for the first time in franchise history .

Rookie Ariel Atkins, Kristi Toliver and Tianna Hawkins picked up the slack for the Mystics, who held off the Atlanta Dream 86-81 in the decisive fifth game of their semifinal series Tuesday night.

''Wow,'' coach Mike Thibault said. ''We're here because we're persistent, we're resilient and we play together.''

The Dream led 71-69 with just under 7 minutes remaining but suddenly went cold at the worst time of a turnaround season. Washington seized the lead with a 9-0 run and survived a desperation 3-pointer by Tiffany Hayes, earning a spot in the Finals against Seattle.

Delle Donne was held to 14 points, far below the 24.7 she was averaging in the series despite missing Game 3 with a knee injury. She did make a big jumper with 1:41 remaining, and sealed the victory with four straight free throws in the closing seconds.

Yet this was really about Atkins, playing with the poise of a veteran while scoring 20 points. And Toliver, who came up huge in the first half and finished with 19. And don't forget Hawkins, who chipped in with 17.

''That's why I came to D.C. - to make history,'' Toliver said. ''It's very special to do it with this group of people. We just have a great, great locker room. It's an exciting time to be a D.C. fan and I'm glad I'm on the winning side of it right now.''

Alex Bentley scored 16 points to lead five Atlanta players in double figures. But the Dream couldn't overcome the loss of star Angel McCoughtry late in the regular season to a knee injury.

''I just got done bawling in the locker room,'' said red-eyed Nicki Collen, who earned coach of the year honors in her debut season for leading the Dream to a 23-11 record - an 11-win improvement over 2017. ''I'm incredibly proud of this team. We're further ahead than I thought we would be when I took this job.

''Damn, a hell of a year.''

The first half was a back-and-forth offensive show, even though Delle Donne was limited to four points.

Toliver carried the load with 17 points - much of it from long range. She knocked down a 3-pointer from almost 30 feet and even tried one from just inside the midcourt stripe.

The Dream responded with a more balanced attack, led by Bentley with 11 points off the bench, and were up 50-49 at halftime.

Both teams clamped down defensively in the second half.

In the end, Washington got the stops that mattered. After Bentley hit a 3 and Washington failed to get the ball inbounds, Atlanta had a chance to tie. But Bentley couldn't get open, forcing Hayes to thrown up a wild shot that didn't hit anything.

''We knew offense was not going to win this game,'' Toliver said. ''We knew it would come down to defense and rebounding.''

Washington grabbed 17 offensive rebounds.

HOLDING HER TONGUE

Collen and her players were not happy with the way the game was called - especially in the fourth quarter.

The Dream was whistled for 21 fouls, compared to 10 for the Mystics. Renee Montgomery fouled out, depriving Atlanta of a much-needed 3-point threat in the closing seconds.

Washington finished 16 of 19 from the foul line. Atlanta was 8 of 9.

''There's a lot I really could say that I'm not supposed to say,'' Collen said. ''So I'm going to hold my tongue about what I'm not supposed to say.''

TIP-INS

Delle Donne did lead the Mystics with 11 rebounds. She also had four assists, two blocks and a steal. ... Montgomery and Brittney Sykes had 15 points each for the Dream. Hayes added 13 and Elizabeth Williams 10. Jessica Breland grabbed 12 rebounds. ... Breland hobbled to the bench after a wild scramble in the lane midway through the third quarter but was able to return about 2 1/2 minutes later.

DROP THE MIC

After watching the game from the bench, McCoughtry grabbed a microphone to thank the home crowd for their support.

''We've got a great team,'' she said. ''We'll be back.''

FRENZIED THIRD

Hawkins took over for Washington in the final 2 minutes of the third quarter, single-handedly ripping off an 8-0 run with a pair of 3-pointers and a fast-break layup that turned a 61-59 deficit into a 67-61 lead for the Mystics.

But the Dream finished the period on a high. After Delle Donne missed wide-open 3 from the top of the key, Montgomery raced to the other end of the court, curled behind a pick and hurled up a 3-pointer at the buzzer that cut the deficit to 67-64 heading to the final period.

PLAYOFF HISTORY

The Dream missed out on the fourth trip to the Finals in franchise history. They were swept in each of their three previous appearances.

The Mystics were in the semifinals for the second year in a row. This time, they made it over the hump.

 

[Cnotes53]

Sue Bird's big 4th quarter leads Storm past Mercury 94-84
The Associated Press

By TIM BOOTH SEATTLE (AP)

Sue Bird scored 14 of her 22 points in the fourth quarter, and the Seattle Storm advanced to the WNBA Finals for the third time in franchise history rallying for a 94-84 win over the Phoenix Mercury in Game 5 on Tuesday night.

Playing with a broken nose suffered in Game 4 and wearing a protective mask, Bird struggled with her shot for the first three quarters, but got hot in the closing minutes. She knocked down three straight jumpers midway through the fourth quarter, including a pair of 3-pointers.

After a contentious jump ball that left Bird screaming at officials begging for a foul, Bird added another 3 and pushed Seattle's lead to 84-76 with 2:51 remaining. Bird handed her friend and Phoenix star Diana Taurasi her first career loss in a winner-take-all game. Taurasi had been 13-0 in her career in those situations, but couldn't overcome the longest tenured Storm player from going off in the fourth quarter. ''I don't know, law of averages? At some point it has to happen,'' Bird said of Taurasi's streak ending.

''This game wasn't anything more than two teams battling it out and one coming out on top.'' League MVP Breanna Stewart led Seattle with 28 points and carried the scoring load through the first three quarters until Bird took over late. Alysha Clark added 13 points and Sami Whitcomb provided a spark with 11 off the bench. Seattle will face the Washington Mystics in the finals. Game 1 is Friday in Seattle.

''It's been a great run. When the season started I wasn't sure what was going to happen and now we're in the Finals,'' Bird said. Taurasi finished with 17 points, but the Mercury were unable to overcome losing the first two games of the series in Seattle.

Brittney Griner led Phoenix with 21 points but had just three in the fourth quarter. Yvonne Turner matched her career high with 19 points, but was scoreless in the fourth quarter. Seattle outscored Phoenix 35-21 in the fourth quarter. It looked good for Phoenix early, jumping to a 10-point lead in the opening minutes and leading by 11 points midway through the second quarter.

But Seattle chipped away, pulled even late in the third quarter and eventually taking its first lead on Jordin Canada's 3-pointer with 8:20 remaining to go ahead 66-63. That's when Stewart and Bird took over, combining to score the next 18 points for Seattle, 11 of those by Bird, as part of an 18-6 run to take control.

TIP-INS

Among the Seattle basketball luminaries in attendance were Nate Robinson, Slick Watts and Hall of Famer Lenny Wilkens. ... Whitcomb had scored in double figures only two times in the regular season. ... Phoenix was 8 of 28 on 3-pointers but four of those came in the first 4 minutes of the game. ... Seattle outscored Phoenix 18-2 in bench points.

BIRD'S BEAK

Bird didn't think there would be major issue playing with the broken nose having done it four times previous in her career, and three previous times during the WNBA season. Bird is now 20-15 overall and 6-5 in the playoffs wearing a protective mask.

WASHINGTON AWAITS

Seattle went 2-1 against the Mystics during the regular season, winning a pair of close games at home but getting routed 100-77 in Washington late in the season.

 

[Cnotes53]

WNBA Playoff Schedule

FINALS

Game 1 ? Washington @ Seattle: Friday, 9 PM ET, ESPNews

Game 2 ? Washington @ Seattle: Sunday, 3:30 PM ET, ABC

Game 3 ? Seattle @ Washington: Wednesday, September 12, 8 PM ET, ESPN2

Game 4* ? Seattle @ Washington: Friday, September 14, 8 PM ET, ESPN2

Game 5* ? Washington @ Seattle: Sunday, September 16, 8 PM ET, ESPN2

* ? if necessary


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


WNBA SEMI'S BEST BETS:

09/04/2018 3-1-0 75.00% +9.50
09/02/2018 3-1-0 75.00% +9.50


TOTALS............6 - 2..........75.00%....+19.00

 

[Cnotes53]

Armadillo: Friday's six-pack

From ESPN, six notable wagers in sports books (LV or NJ) on teams to win the Super Bowl:

? $12,000 on Falcons 22-1. Net win: $264K

? $10,000 on Raiders 20-1. Net win: $200K

? $5,000 on Lions 40-1. Net win: $200K

? $4,000 on Titans 50-1. Net win: $200K

? $1,000 on Jets 100-1. Net win: $100K

? $1,000 on Browns 100-1. Net win: $100K

**********

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

13) Pat O?Hara is the Tennessee Titans? QB coach; maybe you?ve never heard of him, but chances are, you?ve seen him in the movies or watched him play ball on TV. More likely the movies.

O?Hara?s resume:
1987-90? Played (backup) QB at USC; he was Todd Marinovich?s backup
1991? Backup QB for the Buccaneers
1992? Played for Ohio Glory in the WLAF
1992? Backup QB for the Chargers.
1995-2000? QB for Orlando Predators in the Arena League
2001-02? QB for Toronto Phantoms in the Arena League
2003-06? QB for Tampa Bay Storm in the Arena League.

Since his playing days ended (he was on three Arena Bowl champs), O?Hara has been head coach of four different Arena League teams, and for the last three years, was an assistant coach with the Houston Texans. Now he is with the Titans.

Despite all that, here?s where you?re most likely to have seen Pat O?Hara; he has appeared in five movies; he was Tyler Cherubini in Any Given Sunday, the backup QB who got hurt, which put third-stringer Willie Beamon (Jamie Foxx) into the game.

O?Hara has also been the football consultant on 13 different Hollywood movies, including The Waterboy, Invincible and the remake of The Longest Yard. Interesting career.

12) Monday night in Los Angeles, Mets? 3B Todd Frazier dove into the stands to try and make a catch? when he produced a baseball to the umpire, the batter was called out, but in the video, you can see a woman pointing to something on the ground.

Turns out she was pointing to the ball that Frazier didn?t catch; the ball Frazier shows the ump was a rubber baseball that was in a bag that Frazier landed on when he dove into the stands.

Weird thing about this is that is was the Mets? TV crew that uncovered this mistake. Makes the umpires look bad. You wonder if a rule change will result from this, as far as umpires being more aggressive in making sure the player actually caught the ball.

11) Fantasy baseball is usually fun; except when your team gets eliminated from the playoffs, which mine did 10 days ago, mostly because Jose Abreu needed emergency abdominal surgery, and played in only one game that week. Not good.

Turns out the surgery was for ?testicular torsion? which involves twisting of the spermatic cord, which has the effect of reducing blood flow to the affected testicle. Ouch.

From Abreu: ?It was one of my testicles turned sideways and was strangled. The doctor had to perform emergency surgery to save it. I never thought about it, but it was serious. The doctors they did a very good job and everything is good. They saved the testicle. I?m really glad and thankful like I said before for all the people who helped me and who were there for me. I feel very grateful right now.?

Thankfully he is OK, but why doesn?t stuff like this happen in the offseason?

10) Houston Texans have a different starting QB for the 6th year in a row- DeShaun Watson. The previous five?

Tom Savage, Brock Osweiler, Brian Hoyer, Ryan Fitzpatrick and Matt Schaub.

9) In the last 50 years, there has been only one QB taken in the first round of the NFL Draft who never started a game for the team that drafted him.

Rich Campbell went to college at Cal, wound up lasting four years in the NFL, all with Green Bay (1981-84)? he appeared in seven games, completed 31-68 passes for 3 TD?s, 9 INT?s.

8) Former NFL QB Jay Cutler is a bit player on the reality show Very Cavallari that is on the E! Channel and stars his wife Kristin, a fashion designer who has been on other reality shows and has had small roles in movies.

Cutler has a dry sense of humor; you can see why CBS was going to hire him to analyze NFL games LY before he made a comeback (for $10M) with the Dolphins last year.

7) ESPN?s field mikes are cranked up so loud for Sunday Night Baseball; every time a guy hits a medium fly ball it sounds like a clap of thunder that could wipe out a small city.

6) Baseball oddity; Tuesday night, Marlins walked Phillies? SS Mike Kingery intentionally his first time up, to get to the pitcher. Next time thru the lineup, they walked Cesar Hernandez on purpose, to get to Kingery. I?m betting that doesn?t happen very often.

5) From ESPN.com:

Over last 15 regular seasons, NFL favorites are 1,859-1,860-11 against the spread
During that time, over is 1,890-1,886-64.
Thursday NFL games; since 2003, favorites are 97-66-5 vs spread.

Looking at odds to win the Super Bowl, defending champ Eagles have the 10th-lowest odds. Not a lot of respect there.

4) RIP Burt Reynolds, 82, one of the biggest TV/movie stars of the 70?s/80?s. My favorite movie of his is the original The Longest Yard.

Back in the day, Reynolds was a running back at Florida State when the QB was Lee Corso; what a combo those two must have been. Bet they had a ton of fun.

RIP, sir.

3) Geno Crandall, a two-time all-Big Sky Conference guard at North Dakota, announced that he would be graduating over the summer, transferring to Gonzaga for his final year of eligibility.

One small problem; Crandall hasn?t graduated from North Dakota yet. To be a graduate transfer, you actually have to graduate.

If it takes him an extra semester to graduate from North Dakota, he could still bolt after the first semester and play for the Zags in the second semester. Crandall scored 28 points in a game for North Dakota AGAINST Gonzaga last season- he scored 16.6 ppg LY.

2) If you don?t think the NFL is still the king of American sports, consider this; in the heat of the baseball pennant race, with Falcons-Eagles the NFL opener Thursday, only four major league games were scheduled. Four out of a possible 15.

1) 2018 major league payrolls:
? Boston $233,752,429
? LA Dodgers $187,318,213
? Bronx $166,111,632
? Oakland $65,985,833

Go figure.

 

[Cnotes53]

WNBA Finals Cheat Sheet

The 2018 WNBA Finals will begin on Friday Sept. 7 as the Seattle Storm and Washington Mystics meet in a best-of-five series.

Oddsmakers opened the Storm as minus-265 favorites (Bet $100 to win $37) to win the series while the Mystics have a return of plus-210 (Bet $100 to win $210).

Finals Schedule
Game 1 ? Washington at Seattle (Friday, Sept. 7, 9:00 p.m. ET)
Game 2 ? Washington at Seattle (Sunday, Sept. 9, 3:30 p.m. ET)
Game 3 ? Seattle at Washington (Wednesday, Sept. 12, 8:00 p.m. ET)
Game 4 ? Seattle at Washington (Friday, Sept. 14, 8:00 p.m. ET)
Game 5 ? Washington at Seattle (Sunday, Sept. 16, 8:00 p.m. ET)

(Straight Up ? SU, Against the Spread ? ATS, Over-Under ? O/U)

(1) Seattle vs. (3) Washington

Regular Season Meetings
May 29 ? Seattle (-7) 81 vs. Washington 77 (Under 163)
July 8 ? Seattle (-6) 91 vs. Washington 91 (Over 171.5)
Aug. 9 ? Washington (-1) 100 vs. Seattle 77 (Over 172)

Playoff Form

-- Washington clobbered Los Angeles 96-64 in its second-round elimination game, easily cashing as a 4 ?-point home favorite.

-- In the semifinals, the Mystics defeated the Dream in five games. Washington went 1-1 at home and 2-1 on the road in the series. The ?over? went 2-1.

-- Seattle avoided the first and second round and was the highest overall seed in this year?s playoffs.

-- The Storm defeated the Mercury in five games as well.

-- Seattle lost both of its trips to Phoenix, a 20-point decision and a two-point setback.

-- At home, the club went 3-0 but failed to cover the spread (-6.5, -5.5) in a pair of identical 91-87 outcomes in Game?s 1 and 2.

-- The ?under? went 3-2.

ATS Numbers

-- Seattle owns a 23-15-1 ATS mark this season.

-- At home, the Storm went 8-8-1 versus the number. Seattle was a very sound investment on the road, going 14-5 ATS.

-- The Storm has gone 13-11 ATS versus teams above .500 this season.

-- Seattle was only listed as an underdog nine times and it went 5-4 ATS.

-- Including the playoffs, Washington has gone 22-16-1 ATS this season.

-- The Mystics weren?t as great at home versus the number (9-10) but they managed to turn a profit on the road with an 13-6-1 ATS mark.

-- As an underdog, Washington went 8-5 ATS.

-- Washington has gone 13-10 vs. clubs above .500 but they were better on the road (8-5) than at home (4-4) in those games.

-- Game 2 will be played in the afternoon and possibly Game 4. The Mystics are 8-5-1 ATS in day time games while the Storm are 7-5-1 ATS.

Total Talk

-- Washington watched the ?under? go 20-19 this season.

-- The Mystics saw the ?under? go 10-9 at home while the results were a stalemate (10-10) on the road.

-- Seattle has leaned slightly to the ?over? (20-18) in the regular season.

-- The ?under? produced a slight 10-9 edge in the Emerald City while the ?over? posted an 11-8 mark on the road.

Stats to Watch

-- Seattle led the league in field goal percentage (46.8%) and was second in offensive scoring at 87.6 PPG.

-- Phoenix was ranked fourth in scoring offense (85.8 PPG).

-- Seattle only surrendered 79.7 PPG and they were ranked second in free throw attempts allowed (15.9).

-- The Storm (24) was ranked first in the WNBA in 3-point attempts per game and it also led the league in trey made per game with 9.

-- Washington allowed 81.4 PPG on the season.

-- The Mystics are shooting 85.8 percent from the free throw line, the best mark in the WNBA.

 

[Cnotes53]

WNBA
Dunkel

Friday, September 7


Washington @ Seattle

Game 613-614
September 7, 2018 @ 9:05 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Washington
113.106
Seattle
119.862
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Seattle
by 7
164
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Seattle
by 5
168
Dunkel Pick:
Seattle
(-5); Over




WNBA
Long Sheet

Friday, September 7

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

WASHINGTON (25 - 14) at SEATTLE (29 - 10) - 9/7/2018, 9:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
WASHINGTON is 9-19 ATS (-11.9 Units) as an underdog over the last 2 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 188-242 ATS (-78.2 Units) after a division game since 1997.
SEATTLE is 16-8 ATS (+7.2 Units) after allowing 75 points or more this season.
SEATTLE is 14-6 ATS (+7.4 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 77+ points/game after 15+ games this season.
SEATTLE is 3-12 ATS (-10.2 Units) in home games after a win by 10 points or more over the last 3 seasons.

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

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




WNBA

Friday, September 7

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

Washington Mystics
Washington is 11-3 SU in its last 14 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Washington's last 7 games
Washington is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Washington's last 6 games on the road
Washington is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Seattle
Washington is 6-13 SU in its last 19 games when playing Seattle
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Washington's last 5 games when playing Seattle
Washington is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Seattle
Washington is 1-14 SU in its last 15 games when playing on the road against Seattle
The total has gone OVER in 13 of Washington's last 19 games when playing on the road against Seattle
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Washington's last 6 games when playing on the road against Seattle
Seattle Storm
Seattle is 17-7 ATS in its last 24 games
Seattle is 19-5 SU in its last 24 games
Seattle is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
Seattle is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Washington
Seattle is 13-6 SU in its last 19 games when playing Washington
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Seattle's last 5 games when playing Washington
Seattle is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against Washington
Seattle is 14-1 SU in its last 15 games when playing at home against Washington
The total has gone OVER in 13 of Seattle's last 19 games when playing at home against Washington
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Seattle's last 6 games when playing at home against Washington

 

[Cnotes53]

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

WAS at SEA 09:00 PM
SEA -4.5
U 168.0

 

[Cnotes53]

Jewell Loyd scores 23, Storm beat Mystics 89-76 in Game 1
By By TIM BOOTH

SEATTLE (AP) Jewell Loyd made 9 of 12 shots and scored 23 points, league MVP Breanna Stewart added 20 points, and the Seattle Storm beat the Washington Mystics 89-76 in Game 1 of the WNBA Finals on Friday night.

The first WNBA Finals game in Seattle in eight years was a dominant performance by the home team, led by the guard who watched most of the fourth quarter of Seattle's Game 5 win over Phoenix in the semifinals.

Instead of sulking, Loyd became the leader of an efficient offensive performance from the top team in the league during the regular season. Loyd scored 10 straight points during the second quarter when Seattle took control thanks to a 16-4 run, and combined with Stewart to score 20 of Seattle's first 22 points of the third quarter. Seattle led by as many as 27 in the third quarter and 26 early in the fourth quarter, rolling to the easy victory.

Seattle shot 53 percent, outscored Washington 46-28 in the paint and had 21 assists on 33 field goals. Sue Bird, the hero of Game 5, scored just four points, but her points weren't needed on this night. Natasha Howard added 17 points making 7 of 8 shots.

Game 2 is Sunday.

Washington first Finals game in franchise history was mostly forgettable. Elena Delle Donne and Kristi Toliver both struggled shooting. Ariel Atkins led the Mystics with 23 points, but no other Washington player scored more than Natasha Cloud's 11 points.

Still dealing with a bone bruise in her left knee that forced her to miss one game of the semifinals, Delle Donne was 4 of 11, finishing with 10 points and didn't play the fourth quarter. Toliver scored just five points on 2 of 11 shooting, continuing to be either really hot or very cold with her shot in the postseason.

Washington was averaging 86 points in the playoffs, but were held to their lowest point total since

Seattle led by 16 at halftime and yet was able to build the lead with minimal contributions from Stewart and Bird offensively. Stewart didn't make a field goal for the first 15 minutes. Bird had one field goal and three assists in the first half. The Storm didn't make a 3-pointer until Sami Whitcomb's corner 3 nearly halfway through the second quarter.

While Loyd was making everything in the first half, Washington's two standouts were struggling. Toliver and Delle Donne were a combined 3 of 12 in the first half with eight points and four turnovers. Delle Donne was hounded anytime she caught the ball in the post and Toliver was careless with the ball on the perimeter.

TIP-INS

Seattle took two of three from Washington in the regular season but the Mystics won the final matchup 100-77 late in the regular season. ... Before Game 1 Bird and Toliver were the only two players on either team to have played in the Finals. ... Among those in attendance were Jamal Crawford, Dejounte Murray, Nate Robinson, hip-hop star Macklemore and Washington Gov. Jay Inslee.

UP NEXT

The Mystics will try to earn a split in Seattle and take home-court advantage back to Washington. Including the playoffs, Seattle is 16-4 at home this season.



WNBA Playoff Schedule
FINALS
Game 1 ? Seattle 89, Washington 76
Game 2 ? Washington @ Seattle: Sunday, 3:30 PM ET, ABC
Game 3 ? Seattle @ Washington: Wednesday, September 12, 8 PM ET, ESPN2
Game 4* ? Seattle @ Washington: Friday, September 14, 8 PM ET, ESPN2
Game 5* ? Washington @ Seattle: Sunday, September 16, 8 PM ET, ESPN2

 

[Cnotes53]

WNBA SEMI'S & FINALS BEST BETS:

09/07/2018 2-0-0 100.00% +10.00
09/04/2018 3-1-0 75.00% +9.50
09/02/2018 3-1-0 75.00% +9.50


TOTALS............8 - 2..........80.00%....+29.00


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



Saturday?s six-pack

? Bad news for the White Sox: Michael Kopech needs Tommy John surgery.

? Julio Jones was targeted 19 times by Matt Ryan Thursday night.

? Average number of points in NFL games LY: 43.4, a four-year low.

? Since 2010, rookie NFL QB?s making their first career road start are 15-30.

? Three NFL teams have started a season 0-2 and went on to win the Super Bowl: ?92 Cowboys, ?01 Patriots and ?07 Giants.

? Pointspreads were invented in the early 40?s by math teacher-turned-bookmaker Charles McNeil.

Quote of the Day
?I played for a tough sucker, and I was afraid of him, and we played our ass off for him because we feared him. I don?t see that with this guy. He?s chest bumping and all that. I?m the head of the corporation, I?m the CEO, I?m the chairman of the board, I?m talking to the stockholders telling them here?s how we?re going to do at the end of the quarter. I?m selling this thing. And I?m not delivering the goods, which is championships. You?ve got to face the criticism. I?m sorry, but he?s not my kind of coach. I?ve said it before, I?ll say it again.?
Terry Bradshaw, talking about Steelers? coach Mike Tomlin

Saturday?s quiz
Who won the first Super Bowl, and who did they beat?

Friday?s quiz
In the football scenes in The Longest Yard, Burt Reynolds? character Paul Crewe wore number 22, one of the numbers he wore as a running back at Florida State.

Thursday?s quiz
Martin Sheen played President Bartlet in the old TV show, The West Wing.


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


Saturday?s List of 13: Things I?m looking for this weekend??.

13) Chiefs were +45 in turnovers the last three years, in large part because Alex Smith doesn?t turn the ball over very much, but now Smith plays for the Redskins and Patrick Mahomes is the starter, with only one NFL start under his belt.

Chiefs @ Chargers might be the most interesting matchup in NFL?s Week 1.

12) Kansas State had to rally from down 24-12 in 4th quarter vs I-AA South Dakota LW, now they?re a home underdog to Mississippi State. K-State has traditionally been profitable as a home underdog under Bill Snyder- interesting noon game.

11) Bills made the playoffs for the first time in 19 years LY, then traded their QB away and drafted Josh Allen, who isn?t the starter yet. Buffalo has the lowest over/under win total in Las Vegas for this season- there are low expectations for their opener in Baltimore.

10) Lane Kiffin?s Florida Atlantic squad was pummeled by Oklahoma LW; now they?re a home favorite against Air Force and its option attack? how will the Owls bounce back?

9) Tyrod Taylor is that QB Buffalo traded away; he?s the starter in Cleveland now? the Browns have been bet down by the public. Steelers opened at -7; now they?re -4. Cleveland turned the ball over 41 times LY; if Taylor can cut that number in half, Browns will be a vastly improved team this season.

8) Chip Kelly?s UCLA team lost as a 14-point home favorite last week; now they?re a 30-point underdog at Oklahoma. Plus, UCLA?s QB got hurt LW; thats no bueno.

7) Sportsbooks in New Jersey are taking lot of Super Bowl bets on the Giants, so their opener with Jacksonville will be interesting.

Jaguars are 3-17 vs spread in their last 20 games vs NFC teams, but they made the playoffs LY, while the Giants were going 3-13.

6) Detroit Tigers? two TV announcers apparently got into a fight after Tuesday night?s game and were not on the air for Wednesday?s game. Imagine if that had happened during the game? Will these guys ever work together again? They might?ve ruined both of their careers.

5) Jets? rookie Sam Darnold will become the youngest player in Super Bowl era to start at QB in a Week 1 game. New Lions? coach Matt Patricia went to college at RPI, near where I live, in Troy, NY. Patricia?s defenses in New England stopped the Jets; how will his Detroit defense do?

4) USC at Stanford is an interesting game in the Pac-12; Trojans are starting a true freshman QB who left high school a year early, so he should really still be in HS. Awful young to be a starter.

3) Jameis Winston is suspended for the first three games this season, so the Buccaneers head to New Orleans with Ryan Fitzpatrick as their starting QB. Biggest spread of Week 1; can the Bucs hang with their division rival with their backup QB starting?

2) Herm Edwards started his Arizona State tenure with a 49-7 win over Texas-San Antonio (the Roadrunners!!!) last week; now Michigan State is coming to town. Big jump in class.

Supposed to be 107 in Tempe Saturday night; will conditioning be a factor?

1) Norv Turner is Carolina?s new offensive coordinator; Turner coaching Cam Newton?s offense promises to be fascinating. Having the Cowboys in town for the opener and the 4:25 FOX game adds to the build-up.

Enjoy the games this weekend!!!!

 

[Cnotes53]

Armadillo: Sunday's six-pack

Top 6 picks in the Westgate SuperBook NFL handicapping contest (3,123 entries)

1) Bengals +3 (1,218 picked them)

2) Rams -4 (1,052)

3) Ravens -7.5 (907)

4) Vikings -6.5 (854)

5) Texans +6.5 (848)

6) Broncos -3 (807)

**********

Armadillo: Sunday's List of 13: Wrapping up a college football Saturday

13) Colorado 33, Nebraska 28? Exciting game; Cornhuskers threw a couple passes in the end zone on the last series, after Colorado took the lead on a 40-yard pass to Laviska Shenault with 1:07 left. Shenault is a great player; he caught 10 passes for 177 yards and also carried the ball a couple of times. Reminds me of Tim Brown, the old Raider.

Colorado?s kicker is a 31-year old Australian who played pro soccer for ten years before deciding to go to college and trying football. He missed a 37-yard FG with 9:56 left, when Colorado trailed 28-27. He also made two FG?s and missed another one; he needs to do better.

12) Georgia 41, South Carolina 17? Dawgs looked very fast in this game, dominant performance; right at the start of the game, this kid on Georgia picked off a pass and ran it in for a TD, but he did what one or two kids does every year, and it drives me bleepin? crazy.

Pet Peeve of the Day: When you?re scoring an uncontested touchdown, do not drop the ball just as you cross the goal line, because many times, YOU HAVEN?T CROSSED THE LINE YET.

Georgia kid did that here, but one of his teammates picked up the ball and saved his friend from being a complete moron, someone who has to be a ?cool guy? and show off, but instead gets on SportsCenter as the guy who is so cool he cost his team a touchdown for no reason.

11) Bad Beat of the Day:
Florida Atlantic (-8) 33, Air Force 27? Down 33-20 late in the game, Air Force blocked a punt and ran it in for a TD with 0:50 left, to cover the 8-point spread.

10) Upsets of the Day:
? East Carolina (+16) 41, North Carolina 19
? Eastern Michigan (+15) 20, Purdue 19
? Kentucky (+13.5) 27, Florida 16
? Colorado State (+13.5) 34, Arkansas 27
? Navy (+7) 22, Memphis 21

9) South Florida 49, Georgia Tech 38? USF ran two kickoffs back for TD?s in the first quarter; last team to have two kick return TD?s in the same game? Cal Golden Bears, in 2014. So when you see that Tech outgained the Bulls 602-426, it is misleading, since USF had two fewer possessions, thanks to the kick returns.

8) Oklahoma 49, UCLA 21? It is weird watching the A?s late Saturday afternoon and they flash the Oklahoma score on the screen? Sooners? QB Kyler Murray was Oakland?s 1st round draft pick back in June, and will be an outfielder in the A?s minor league system starting next year.

Oklahoma has really good receivers, and a lot of them; Murray is like a point guard, getting rid of the ball quickly to one of his very fast friends.

7) Mississippi State 31, Kansas State 10? K-State?s kicker is a kid named Blake Lynch; he is 5-foot-5 and up until a couple months ago, was a custodian in the K-State athletic department. Now he is on full scholarship; good for him.

6) Navy 22, Memphis 21? Tigers outgained Navy by 62 yards, but turned ball over four times (-3) and ran 30 less plays than the Middies. Navy scored the game-winning TD with 2:37 left, and outscored Memphis 13-0 in 4th quarter.

5) Kentucky 27, Florida 16? Last time Kentucky beat Florida in football, I had a full head of curly hair; Wildcats won 10-3 that day, way back in 1986- think I weigh less now, though. Anyway it was a long time ago- Kerwin Bell was the Gators? QB that day, Galen Hall was the Florida coach. Jerry Claiborne was Kentucky?s coach.

4) Clemson 28, Texas A&M 26? Tigers held on to win in last minute on a rainy night in Texas. Not sure how teams at this level juggle two QB?s, like Clemson is trying to do.

3) Ole Miss 76, Southern Illinois 41? This is a misleading score, since Salukis are a I-AA team, and led 38-35 at halftime. Red Flag for the Rebels here, after their win LW over Texas Tech.

2) Minnesota 21, Fresno State 14? Visiting Bulldogs were on Minnesota 4-yard line with 1:25 to go, tried a halfback option pass, but it was a terrible pass and got picked off in end zone.

1) Kansas 31, Central Michigan 7? Jayhawks snapped a 46-game road losing streak; their last road win was September 12, 2009.

 

[Cnotes53]

Storm beat Mystics 89-76 in Game 1

SEATTLE (AP) Jewell Loyd was unselfish in the deciding game of the WNBA semifinals, giving up her spot on the floor and choosing not to mess with what was going right for the Seattle Storm at the time.

Her decision appeared to be rewarded in Game 1 of the Finals.

''It's amazing how many times when you're thinking right like she (is), and you're unselfish like she was in Game 5, how you are rewarded the next time,'' Seattle coach Dan Hughes said.

Loyd made 9 of 12 shots and scored 23 points, league MVP Breanna Stewart added 20 points, and the Storm opened the Finals with an 89-76 victory over the Washington Mystics on Friday night.

The first WNBA Finals game in Seattle in eight years was a dominant performance by the home team, led by the guard who watched most of the fourth quarter of Seattle's Game 5 win over Phoenix in the semifinals. Loyd made the suggestion to Hughes not to change Seattle's lineup during that fourth quarter against Phoenix which meant she stayed on the bench.

And instead of sulking about her struggles for most of the semifinal series, Loyd became the leader of an efficient offensive performance from the top team in the league during the regular season.

''It helps when you're playing with people who are unselfish and set you up and keep giving you the ball. That's what makes this team special. Everyone is willing to make that extra pass regardless if you miss 100 shots and make the next 70, this team is going to give you the ball.''

Loyd scored 10 straight points during the second quarter when Seattle took control thanks to a 16-4 run, and combined with Stewart to score 20 of Seattle's first 22 points of the third quarter. Seattle led by 27 in the third quarter and 26 early in the fourth quarter.

Seattle shot 53 percent, outscored Washington 46-28 in the paint and had 21 assists on 33 field goals. Sue Bird, the hero of Game 5, scored just four points, but her points weren't needed on this night. Natasha Howard added 17 points making 7 of 8 shots.

Game 2 is Sunday.

''We were a step behind - they looked quicker than us,'' Washington coach Mike Thibault said. ''They made us pay for every defensive mistake for a stretch, and we made enough of them to help them.''

Washington's first Finals game in franchise history was mostly forgettable. Elena Delle Donne and Kristi Toliver both struggled shooting. Ariel Atkins led the Mystics with 23 points, but no other Washington player scored more than Natasha Cloud's 11 points.

Still dealing with a bone bruise in her left knee that forced her to miss one game of the semifinals, Delle Donne was 4 of 11, finishing with 10 points and didn't play the fourth quarter. Toliver scored just five points on 2 of 11 shooting, continuing to be either really hot or very cold with her shot in the postseason.

''I think our whole offense was a little bit stagnant. Instead of getting the ball and moving it side to side, we were hanging onto it on one side and staring at each other,'' Delle Donne said. ''We need to move a little bit more and make them chase it around like they were doing to us. As a whole, we were way too stagnant.''

EARLY CONTROL

Seattle led by 16 at halftime and yet was able to build the lead with minimal contributions from Stewart and Bird offensively. Stewart didn't make a field goal for the first 15 minutes. Bird had one field goal and three assists in the first half. The Storm didn't make a 3-pointer until Sami Whitcomb's corner 3 nearly halfway through the second quarter.

While Loyd was making everything in the first half, Washington's two standouts were struggling. Toliver and Delle Donne were a combined 3 of 12 in the first half with eight points and four turnovers. Delle Donne was hounded anytime she caught the ball in the post and Toliver was careless with the ball on the perimeter.

TIP-INS

Seattle took two of three from Washington in the regular season but the Mystics won the final matchup 100-77 late in the regular season. ... Before Game 1 Bird and Toliver were the only two players on either team to have played in the Finals. ... Among those in attendance were Jamal Crawford, Dejounte Murray, Nate Robinson, hip-hop star Macklemore and Washington Gov. Jay Inslee.

UP NEXT

The Mystics will try to earn a split in Seattle and take home-court advantage back to Washington. Including the playoffs, Seattle is 16-4 at home this season.

 

[Cnotes53]

WNBA

Sunday, September 9

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

Washington Mystics
Washington is 2-3-1 ATS in its last 6 games
Washington is 11-4 SU in its last 15 games
Washington is 1-3-1 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
Washington is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games on the road
Washington is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Seattle
Washington is 6-14 SU in its last 20 games when playing Seattle
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Washington's last 6 games when playing Seattle
Washington is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Seattle
Washington is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Seattle
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Washington's last 5 games when playing on the road against Seattle
Seattle Storm
Seattle is 18-7 ATS in its last 25 games
Seattle is 12-3 SU in its last 15 games
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Seattle's last 9 games
Seattle is 8-4 ATS in its last 12 games at home
Seattle is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
Seattle is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Washington
Seattle is 14-6 SU in its last 20 games when playing Washington
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Seattle's last 6 games when playing Washington
Seattle is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against Washington
Seattle is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Washington
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Seattle's last 5 games when playing at home against Washington


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


WNBA
Dunkel

Sunday, September 9


Washington @ Seattle

Game 615-616
September 9, 2018 @ 3:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Washington
115.940
Seattle
117.028
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Seattle
by 1
163
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Seattle
by 5
168
Dunkel Pick:
Washington
(+5); Under

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

I've been waiting all morning for the Top Trends section to update. If, or when, the source updates, I'll add it....


WNBA
Long Sheet

Sunday, September 9

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

WASHINGTON (25 - 15) at SEATTLE (30 - 10) - 9/9/2018, 3:35 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

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

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


SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 9
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

WAS at SEA 03:30 PM
SEA -5.5
O 169.0

 

[Udog]

Storm beat Mystics for 2-0 series lead

SEATTLE (AP) A lot of Breanna Stewart in the closing minutes and one big defensive stop in the final seconds has the Seattle Storm on the cusp of a third WNBA title.

Stewart scored nine of her 25 points in the fourth quarter, Sue Bird came up with a key defensive play in the final 10 seconds, and the Storm held off the Washington Mystics 75-73 on Sunday to take a 2-0 lead in the WNBA Finals.

Seattle will head to Washington for Game 3 on Wednesday night needing only a split back east to claim the third title in franchise history. Since the WNBA went to a best-of-five format for the Finals in 2005, no team has lost the first two games and fought back to force a Game 5.

''It came down to a stop, and I thought we did a really good job,'' Seattle coach Dan Hughes said. ''This is a team that has grown defensively. All year, we have watched the defensive numbers get better and better and better and better and better I thought it was quite poetic that some of these games were going to come down to a stop.''

Stewart went nearly 18 minutes of game time without scoring, but was responsible for six of Seattle's final seven points as the Storm held off Washington's late rally. The league MVP got her touches in the closing minutes, while Washington didn't make sure star Elena Delle Donne got her opportunities. Delle Donne finished with 17 points but was scoreless in the fourth quarter and took just one shot.

Delle Donne scored on a three-point play late in the third quarter. It was her final points.

''I think we fell in love too much with me getting the ball on the block. I'm more than just a back-to-the-basket type of player. Playing in space opens up my teammates, also opens myself up,'' Delle Donne said. ''We've got to find a way to not become one-dimensional and just try to force it in.''

While Game 1 was a romp for Seattle, Game 2 was in the balance inside the final minute despite all that didn't go right for Washington. The Mystics didn't hit a 3-pointer for the first time all season. Delle Donne wasn't absent from the offense in the fourth quarter. The Mystics were outrebounded by 10 and had just 10 assists on 29 made baskets.

Yet the opportunity was there to go home with the series even.

Kristi Toliver's two key jumpers pulled Washington within 74-73 and when Stewart missed a pair of free throws with 16 seconds left, Washington had a chance to take the lead.

That's when Bird, the oldest player in the league, relied on her experience.

Toliver appeared open for a 3 and Bird lunged forward. That opened a lane baseline, but as Toliver was going by Bird was able to reach from behind and poke the ball free. The mad scramble ended up in a jump ball between Natasha Howard and Tianna Hawkins ended up in the hands of Jewell Loyd. Seattle was able to run seven seconds off the clock before Alysha Clark was fouled and her free throw gave Seattle a two-point lead. Washington was out of timeouts and couldn't advance the ball into the front court. Atkins' desperation half-court shot at the buzzer was well off.

Washington believed Bird had fouled Toliver, especially with Seattle having a foul to give.

''I got fouled going baseline. I think it was pretty blatant, pretty obvious,'' Toliver said.

''Sue Bird took the foul. Officials didn't understand that Seattle was actually trying to take the foul, ball got knocked loose on floor,'' Washington coach Mike Thibault said.

Bird insisted Washington's interpretation was wrong. She was going for the steal.

''Once she went by me, I did the good ol' Sue Bird move and was lucky to get a piece of the ball,'' said Bird, saying she's done that move since she was in college. ''I knew we had a foul to give, but that was not my intention at all.''

NO 3s

Toliver and Ariel Atkins both added 15 points for Washington, but got nothing from behind the 3-point line. Their season-low prior to Sunday was one. Toliver was 0 of 6 from deep.

''That's a huge facet of the game too. As a 3-point shooting team, we need some of those to go in,'' Toliver said.

BIRD'S BUCKET

Bird finished with 8 points but had one of the biggest shots of the game when she banked in a 35-footer midway through the fourth quarter as the shot clock was expiring. The basket gave Seattle a 68-63 lead.

''I did not call it, I did not mean it,'' Bird said. ''I'm glad it went in.''

TIP INS

Seattle has won seven straight Finals games dating to 2004. They have never lost a Finals game at home. ... Bird moved into second place on the all-time playoff assists list.

UP NEXT

Game 3 is Wednesday night in Washington.

 

[Udog]

Storm coronation only a matter of time

SEATTLE (AP) If history is any indicator, the WNBA Finals are already over.

That may not be a fair assessment to make about the Washington Mystics, who head back home facing a 2-0 deficit to the Seattle Storm in the best-of-five series, and nearly pulled off a split in Seattle before falling short 75-73 in Game 2 on Sunday.

But the history of teams that have faced a 2-0 deficit since the league went to a best-of-five format in 2005 doesn't paint an optimistic picture for the Mystics. Four times before, the higher seed has swept the first two games at home. In all four occasions the series ended in Game 3.

''We feel really good, we feel really positive. We're going to be better,'' Washington guard Kristi Toliver said after Game 2. ''We were better from the day before. We're going to be better when we get home, and we're going to knock down shots.''

Whether it happens in a sweep or not, Seattle has positioned itself to join the elite of WNBA franchises. Seattle could become just the sixth franchise in league history to win three or more titles and join the defunct Houston Comets as the only franchise to have never lost a Finals appearance. The Comets were four-for-four before folding after the 2008 season.

Seattle is on the cusp of being three-for-three in the Finals, all of them with Sue Bird at the helm. Her running mate for Seattle's first two titles was Lauren Jackson. Now it's league MVP Breanna Stewart, who had an MVP-type performance in Game 2.

''For somebody who consistently has presence and consistently wants the ball and consistently is winning your team basketball games that's an MVP. ... In all honesty, she's been showing it all season,'' Bird said.

There's still a lot for Washington to overcome when it returns home for Game 3 on Wednesday night. After getting blown out in Game 1, the Mystics had a chance to get out of Seattle with a split, only to watch the Storm rally in the fourth quarter behind Stewart.

Seattle made a point of making sure Stewart got her hands on the ball in the fourth quarter. She made both of her shot attempts, took six free throws, grabbed two rebounds and had two steals in the fourth quarter alone, when Seattle outscored Washington 17-12.

Meanwhile, the Mystics couldn't figure out how to find Elena Delle Donne. Yes, she's not at 100 percent playing with a bone bruise in her left knee, but the absence of Delle Donne in the fourth quarter was a major factor in Game 2. She had just one shot attempt, no rebounds, no free throws in the final 10 minutes.

Seattle coach Dan Hughes said it was a focus from the outset of the game to get Stewart as many touches as possible.

''Your chances, your analytics for success with Breanna Stewart catching the ball twice is good, and I don't even know the exact number, but I've watched enough tape to know,'' Hughes said.

Washington coach Mike Thibault was annoyed with several things after Game 2, most dealing with officiating.

His opening statement noted the free throw difference between Stewart and Delle Donne (14 to 3), and an apparent non-call on Washington's next-to-last possession where Bird knocked the ball from Toliver as she drove the baseline. The scramble for the loose ball led to a jump ball that Seattle won and ended Washington's chance to escape the Pacific Northwest with a split.

''Obviously, it's really frustrating to not come away with the win, but we were able to see a lot of things, and we get to build on it for these next three games,'' Delle Donne said.

 

[Udog]

WNBA
Long Sheet

Wednesday, September 12

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

SEATTLE (31 - 10) at WASHINGTON (25 - 16) - 9/12/2018, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
SEATTLE is 11-26 ATS (-17.6 Units) in road games on Wednesday since 1997.
WASHINGTON is 14-4 ATS (+9.6 Units) after a non-conference game this season.
SEATTLE is 13-5 ATS (+7.5 Units) in road games this season.
SEATTLE is 13-5 ATS (+7.5 Units) in a road game where where the total is greater than or equal to 150 this season.
SEATTLE is 13-5 ATS (+7.5 Units) after a non-conference game this season.
SEATTLE is 15-7 ATS (+7.3 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 77+ points/game after 15+ games this season.
WASHINGTON is 34-56 ATS (-27.6 Units) as a home favorite of 3 points or less since 1997.

Head-to-Head Series History
WASHINGTON is 6-4 against the spread versus SEATTLE over the last 3 seasons
SEATTLE is 7-4 straight up against WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
6 of 11 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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




WNBA

Wednesday, September 12

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

Seattle Storm
Seattle is 17-8 ATS in its last 25 games
Seattle is 13-3 SU in its last 16 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Seattle's last 5 games
Seattle is 10-3 ATS in its last 13 games on the road
Seattle is 9-4 SU in its last 13 games on the road
Seattle is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games when playing Washington
Seattle is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Washington
Seattle is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Washington
Seattle is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Washington
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Seattle's last 5 games when playing on the road against Washington
Washington Mystics
Washington is 11-5 SU in its last 16 games
Washington is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Washington's last 6 games
Washington is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games at home
Washington is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games at home
Washington is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games when playing Seattle
Washington is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing Seattle
Washington is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against Seattle
Washington is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Seattle
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Washington's last 5 games when playing at home against Seattle


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[Udog]

WNBA
Dunkel

Wednesday, September 12


Seattle @ Washington

Game 617-618
September 12, 2018 @ 8:05 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Seattle
112.119
Washington
120.849
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Washington
by 8 1/2
172
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Washington
by 3 1/2
166
Dunkel Pick:
Washington
(-3 1/2); Over