Cnotes 2019 WNBA News - Notes - Picks Thru The Playoffs !

[Cnotes53]

WNBA
Dunkel

Sunday, September 29


Connecticut @ Washington

Game 601-602
September 29, 2019 @ 3:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Connecticut
112.245
Washington
122.830
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Washington
by 10 1/2
179
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Washington
by 7 1/2
165 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Washington
(-7 1/2); Over




WNBA
Long Sheet

Sunday, September 29

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

CONNECTICUT (26 - 11) at WASHINGTON (28 - 9) - 9/29/2019, 3:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
CONNECTICUT is 5-12 ATS (-8.2 Units) in road games this season.
CONNECTICUT is 1-8 ATS (-7.8 Units) in road games revenging a loss versus opponent over the last 2 seasons.
CONNECTICUT is 2-9 ATS (-7.9 Units) in road games after scoring 75 points or more this season.
WASHINGTON is 33-14 ATS (+17.6 Units) as a home favorite of 6.5 to 9 points since 1997.
WASHINGTON is 6-0 ATS (+6.0 Units) in home games on Sunday games this season.
WASHINGTON is 7-1 ATS (+5.9 Units) in home games vs. division opponents this season.
WASHINGTON is 40-61 ATS (-27.1 Units) in home games when playing with 3 or more days rest since 1997.

Head-to-Head Series History
CONNECTICUT is 7-3 against the spread versus WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
CONNECTICUT is 6-4 straight up against WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
7 of 10 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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




WNBA

Sunday, September 29

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

Washington Mystics
Washington is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games
Washington is 9-1 SU in its last 10 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Washington's last 5 games
Washington is 7-2 ATS in its last 9 games at home
Washington is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Washington's last 11 games at home
Washington is 3-8-1 ATS in its last 12 games when playing Connecticut
Washington is 3-6 SU in its last 9 games when playing Connecticut
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Washington's last 5 games when playing Connecticut
Washington is 10-4 ATS in its last 14 games when playing at home against Connecticut
Washington is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against Connecticut
Washington is 9-3 SU in its last 12 games when playing at home against Connecticut
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Washington's last 6 games when playing at home against Connecticut
Connecticut Sun
Connecticut is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games
Connecticut is 17-5 SU in its last 22 games
Connecticut is 5-10-1 ATS in its last 16 games on the road
Connecticut is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games on the road
Connecticut is 8-3 ATS in its last 11 games when playing Washington
Connecticut is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games when playing Washington
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Connecticut's last 5 games when playing Washington
Connecticut is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Washington
Connecticut is 4-10 ATS in its last 14 games when playing on the road against Washington
Connecticut is 3-9 SU in its last 12 games when playing on the road against Washington
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Connecticut's last 6 games when playing on the road against Washington

 

[Cnotes53]

WNBA
Dunkel

Sunday, September 29


Connecticut @ Washington

Game 601-602
September 29, 2019 @ 3:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Connecticut
112.245
Washington
122.830
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Washington
by 10 1/2
179
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Washington
by 7 1/2
165 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Washington
(-7 1/2); Over




WNBA
Long Sheet

Sunday, September 29

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

CONNECTICUT (26 - 11) at WASHINGTON (28 - 9) - 9/29/2019, 3:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
CONNECTICUT is 5-12 ATS (-8.2 Units) in road games this season.
CONNECTICUT is 1-8 ATS (-7.8 Units) in road games revenging a loss versus opponent over the last 2 seasons.
CONNECTICUT is 2-9 ATS (-7.9 Units) in road games after scoring 75 points or more this season.
WASHINGTON is 33-14 ATS (+17.6 Units) as a home favorite of 6.5 to 9 points since 1997.
WASHINGTON is 6-0 ATS (+6.0 Units) in home games on Sunday games this season.
WASHINGTON is 7-1 ATS (+5.9 Units) in home games vs. division opponents this season.
WASHINGTON is 40-61 ATS (-27.1 Units) in home games when playing with 3 or more days rest since 1997.

Head-to-Head Series History
CONNECTICUT is 7-3 against the spread versus WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
CONNECTICUT is 6-4 straight up against WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
7 of 10 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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




WNBA

Sunday, September 29

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

Washington Mystics
Washington is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games
Washington is 9-1 SU in its last 10 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Washington's last 5 games
Washington is 7-2 ATS in its last 9 games at home
Washington is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Washington's last 11 games at home
Washington is 3-8-1 ATS in its last 12 games when playing Connecticut
Washington is 3-6 SU in its last 9 games when playing Connecticut
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Washington's last 5 games when playing Connecticut
Washington is 10-4 ATS in its last 14 games when playing at home against Connecticut
Washington is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against Connecticut
Washington is 9-3 SU in its last 12 games when playing at home against Connecticut
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Washington's last 6 games when playing at home against Connecticut
Connecticut Sun
Connecticut is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games
Connecticut is 17-5 SU in its last 22 games
Connecticut is 5-10-1 ATS in its last 16 games on the road
Connecticut is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games on the road
Connecticut is 8-3 ATS in its last 11 games when playing Washington
Connecticut is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games when playing Washington
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Connecticut's last 5 games when playing Washington
Connecticut is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Washington
Connecticut is 4-10 ATS in its last 14 games when playing on the road against Washington
Connecticut is 3-9 SU in its last 12 games when playing on the road against Washington
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Connecticut's last 6 games when playing on the road against Washington

 

[Cnotes53]

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 29
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

CONN at WAS 03:00 PM

CONN +8.5

O 166.0

 

[Cnotes53]

Delle Donne leads Mystics to 95-86 Game 1 win over Sun
September 29, 2019
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WASHINGTON (AP) With the Connecticut Sun rallying, Elena Delle Donne wouldn't be denied down the stretch for the Washington Mystics in Game 1 of the WNBA Finals.

The league's MVP scored two big baskets for Washington after Connecticut had cut its deficit to four in the fourth quarter and the Mystics held off the Sun 95-86 on Sunday.

''It's nice to have a weapon like that that can make those plays because there's not very many that can,'' Washington coach Mike Thibault said.

Delle Donne scored 22 points and Ariel Atkins had 21 for the Mystics, who earned their first finals win in franchise history. They were swept last year by Seattle in their only other appearance in the championship round. Delle Donne was battling a bone bruise in last year's finals.

''It feels great to know that I'm able to actually give everything I have,'' Delle Donne said. ''Last playoffs I gave everything I had, but that was about 70 percent. Just physically I wasn't there. So, to be back and to be feeling good and to have my body working properly.''

Kristi Toliver, who suffered her own bone bruise this year, added 18 points for the Mystics. Game 2 of the best-of-five series is Tuesday night in Washington.

The Mystics were up nine at the half and extended the lead to 17 in the third quarter before Connecticut rallied within four twice in the final period. Delle Donne - the league's MVP - answered each time for Washington with a basket. Her jumper with 4:56 left made it 82-76 and started a 9-0 run to put the game out of reach.

''Obviously a go-to player down the stretch that they can play through and made some big plays,'' Connecticut coach Curt Miller said of Delle Donne. ''But like Alyssa Thomas is an elite defender, and when she bodies up on 99 percent of the people in the league and they've picked up their dribble, she usually gets them stopped. But we all know that EDD's step-through in that last movement to the basket where she leans in and can create space and get her shot off is the only person in the world that does that.''

Atkins followed with a 3-pointer that made it a nine-point game and then corralled an offensive rebound that Toliver finished off with a finger roll down the lane with 3:16 left.

''Ariel Atkins contribution was huge today, from making her first three of the game to being aggressive,'' Thibault said. ''That looked like the Ariel from last year in the playoffs, and that offensive rebound she got late in the game was a huge saver for us. It gave us the last piece of momentum that we needed.''

The Sun could only get within eight the rest of the way.

Courtney Williams scored 26 points and Alyssa Thomas added 20 to lead Connecticut, playing the finals for the first time since 2005.

After a tight first 6 minutes Mike Thibault inserted Emma Meesseman into the lineup playing all three of Washington's bigs together. It was a lineup that Connecticut didn't see during the three regular season meetings. Delle Donne missed the first game because of knee pain. Meesseman missed the other two games because she was with the Belgium national team

The pair along with LaToya Sanders helped Washington go on a 12-0 run to close the quarter and give the Mystics a 30-17 lead.

''It's something we talked about,'' Sun guard Jasmine Thomas said of getting off to a good start. ''They score the ball so well and play so well together, we can't have a flat start. The first quarter start being making a big difference in Game 2. ''

The Mystics were up 55-46 at the half.

TIP-INS: The Mystics hit their first 13 free throws before Meesseman missed one in the third quarter. The team, which shot 87.5% from the line during the regular season, finished 17 for 21. ...

TURTLE REUNION

Maryland was well represented in the finals with five of coach Brenda Frese's former players seeing court time in Game 1. Washington had Shatori Walker-Kimbrough ('17), Tianna Hawkins ('13) and Toliver ('09) while the Sun had Brionna Jones ('17) and Thomas ('14).

Only Toliver won a championship in college and she's also the only one to win a WNBA title, doing so with Los Angeles in 2016.

Frese was in attendance.

 

[Cnotes53]

SCHEDULE FOR TUESDAY OCTOBER 1, 2019
Time (ET) Away Home Site
8:00 PM Connecticut Sun Washington Mystics The Entertainment and Sports Arena

SCHEDULE FOR SUNDAY OCTOBER 6, 2019
Time (ET) Away Home Site
3:30 PM Washington Mystics Connecticut Sun Mohegan Sun Arena


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


WNBA SEPT. PLAYOFFS OPINIONS AND BEST BETS: ALL BASED ON 5 UNITS

DATE W-L-T % UNITS RECORD

09/29/2019.......1-1-0.......50.00%........-0.50
09/22/2019.......0-4-0........0.00%.......-22.00
09/19/2019.......2-1-1........66.67%......+4.50
09/17/2019.......1-3-0........25.00%......-11.50
09/15/2019.......3-1-0........75.00%.......+9.50
09/11/2019...... 3-1-0 .......75.00% ......+9.50

Total.............10 -11-1.......47.61%........-10.50


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

BEST BETS:

DATE........................ATS............. ..UNITS...............O/U..............UNITS...........TOTALS


09/29/2019..............0 - 1................-5.50...............1 - 0.............+5.00............-0.50
09/22/2019..............0 - 2................-11.00.............0 - 2..............-11.00...........-22.00
09/19/2019..............1 - 0................+5.00..............1 - 1..............-0.50............+4.50
09/17/2019..............0 - 2................-11.00..............1 - 1.............-0.50............-11.50
09/15/2019..............1 - 1................-0.50................2 - 0............+10.00..........+9.50
09/11/2019..............1 - 1................-0.50................2 - 0............+10.00..........+9.50

Totals......................3 - 7 ...............-19.50................7 - 4...........+13.00............-6.50

 

[Cnotes53]

Armadillo: Tuesday's six-pack

Payrolls for the 10 playoff teams in baseball:

New York $203,897,446
Washington $197,203,691
LA Dodgers $196,279,677
St Louis $162,620,267
Houston $158,053,000
Milwaukee $122,530,400
Minnesota $119,651,933
Atlanta $115,247,089
A?s $92,178,833
Tampa Bay $60,084,133


**********

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

13) Three years ago, the Cubs won the World Series for the first time in 108 years; Sunday, they fired manager Joe Maddon, who led them to that title.

When he was in Boston, Cubs GM Theo Epstein fired manager Terry Francona after the 2011 season; Francona won two World Series in eight years with the Red Sox, Boston?s first World Series titles in 86 years.

Not a lot of loyalty there, in either case.

Maddon is 65 years old and made $6M this year; his successor will be younger and a lot cheaper.

12) The analytics crowd in baseball doesn?t value the field manager as much as they should; teams live/travel together for 7+ months. Having the right manager makes all the difference.

If you read this site, you know I love numbers, but those guys aren?t playing fantasy baseball, managers have to deal with fragile egos and huge egos and convince guys to accept what is best for the team- they have to have real life people skills. You think major league players like to be platooned constantly?

My point is this; maybe it isn?t Joe Maddon?s fault the Cubs faded down the stretch; maybe the roster Theo Epstein gave him just wasn?t good enough.

11) Angels fired manager Brad Ausmus after only one season, a year where one of their starting pitchers was found dead in his hotel room on a road trip; not exactly an ideal scenario.

Popular wisdom is that the Angels will go after former Angel coach Maddon to be their next manager.

10) Pirates fired manager Clint Hurdle, who was 735-720 in nine years managing the Pirates, with three playoff appearances. From 2013-15, Pirates were 280-206, and made the playoffs all three years. He also led the Rockies to a World Series; pretty strong resume.

9) Cleveland Indians won 93 games this year, the most by any non-playoff team since 2000, when the Mets went 94-68 but missed the playoffs by a game.

8) Pete Alonso hit 53 homers for the Mets this year; 31 of them came with the bases empty.

7) Friday night against the Dodgers, San Francisco became the first team since the 1950 Cardinals to score 2 or less runs in a game, while stranding 17+ runners on base.

6) Monthly sports betting handle:
May: Nevada $317.3M, New Jersey $318.9M
June: Nevada $322.5M, New Jersey $317.3M
July: Nevada $235M, New Jersey $251M
August: Nevada $287.7M, New Jersey $293.5M (Pennsylvania $109M)

5) Early in his career, Dodger SS Corey Seager irritated LA officials with the number of swings he took before, during and after games; they thought he overdid it. Seager was obsessed with perfecting his swing; when he had to miss 2018 with elbow/hip injuries, he became more coachable this year and had a solid 2019, hitting .272 with 84 RBI.

4) 10 years ago, the under-18 U.S. national baseball team had Tony Wolters, Nick Castellanos, Bryce Harper and Manny Machado on it, as well as pitchers Kevin Gausman, Robbie Ray and Jameson Taillon. Pretty good team; half of the 20 players made the major leagues.

3) Rutgers fired football coach Chris Ash before baseball season ended, which is unusual. Not a lot of college football coaches get the boot before Columbus Day.

2) Steelers 27, Bengals 3:
? This was a bad football game; the Bengals? offensive line was terrible.
? Andy Dalton was sacked eight times; he averaged 2.3 yards/pass attempt.
? Two of Pittsburgh?s three TD?s were on drives of less than 50 yards.

1) I know he is just an actor and he isn?t the characters he portrays, but I would still be queasy if Robert DeNiro was mad at me.

 

[Cnotes53]

WNBA
Dunkel

Tuesday, October 1

Connecticut @ Washington

Game 603-604
October 1, 2019 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Connecticut
112.304
Washington
122.772
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Washington
by 10 1/2
166
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Washington
by 8
169 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Washington
(-8); Under




WNBA
Long Sheet

Tuesday, October 1

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

CONNECTICUT (26 - 12) at WASHINGTON (29 - 9) - 10/1/2019, 8:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
CONNECTICUT is 5-13 ATS (-9.3 Units) in road games this season.
CONNECTICUT is 5-12 ATS (-8.2 Units) in a road game where where the total is greater than or equal to 150 this season.
CONNECTICUT is 0-6 ATS (-6.6 Units) in road games after a division game this season.
CONNECTICUT is 1-9 ATS (-8.9 Units) in road games revenging a loss versus opponent over the last 2 seasons.
CONNECTICUT is 2-9 ATS (-7.9 Units) in road games after allowing 75 points or more this season.
CONNECTICUT is 2-10 ATS (-9.0 Units) in road games after scoring 75 points or more this season.
WASHINGTON is 7-1 ATS (+5.9 Units) as a home favorite of 6.5 to 9 points this season.
WASHINGTON is 8-1 ATS (+6.9 Units) in home games vs. division opponents this season.
WASHINGTON is 198-249 ATS (-75.9 Units) after a division game since 1997.

Head-to-Head Series History
CONNECTICUT is 7-4 against the spread versus WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
CONNECTICUT is 6-5 straight up against WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
7 of 11 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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




WNBA

Tuesday, October 1

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

Connecticut Sun
Connecticut is 17-6 SU in its last 23 games
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Connecticut's last 9 games
Connecticut is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games at home
Connecticut is 11-1 SU in its last 12 games at home
Connecticut is 8-4 ATS in its last 12 games when playing Washington
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Connecticut's last 5 games when playing Washington
Connecticut is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against Washington
Connecticut is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Washington
Washington Mystics
Washington is 10-1 SU in its last 11 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Washington's last 6 games
Washington is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
Washington is 11-4 SU in its last 15 games on the road
Washington is 4-8-1 ATS in its last 13 games when playing Connecticut
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Washington's last 5 games when playing Connecticut
Washington is 1-4-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Connecticut
Washington is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Connecticut

 

[Cnotes53]

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 1
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

CONN at WAS 08:00 PM

WAS -7.5

O 172.0

 

[Cnotes53]

Jones helps Sun even series as Delle Donne exits for Mystics
October 1, 2019
By The Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) Jonquel Jones scored 32 points and grabbed 18 rebounds, and the Connecticut Sun took advantage of Elena Delle Donne's early injury exit to beat the Washington Mystics 99-87 in Game 2 of the WNBA Finals on Tuesday night and even the series.

Alyssa Thomas added 21 points and 12 rebounds, and Courtney Williams had 22 points for the Sun, who dominated the paint after the 6-foot-5 Delle Donne departed in the first quarter with back spasms.

Connecticut outrebounded Washington 41-27 overall and 17-6 on the offensive glass. Jones, who didn't have an offensive board in the first game, had a WNBA Finals record nine. She also only took eight shots in the series opener, which Connecticut lost 95-86.

''I was disappointed in Game 1,'' Jones said. ''Disappointed with my lack of getting offensive boards, I had to make a change.''

In Game 2, Emma Meeseman scored 22 points off the bench for Washington after spelling Delle Donne early in the first quarter and Tianna Hawkins added 16. Washington's bench outscored Connecticut's 52-9.

Kristi Toliver was the Mystics' only starter in double figures with 13 points. Delle Donne finished scoreless after taking just two early shots.

''She's such a big part of what they do. You don't want to wish injury on anyone, but we knew it was a chance to steal one here,'' Jones said.

Even so, after Connecticut put together an early run following Delle Donne's departure and led by as many as 14 points in the second quarter, the Mystics fought back from a 10-point halftime deficit to tie it briefly.

Aerial Powers converted a three-point play before adding a slashing layup on Toliver's feed to cut it to 71-69 late in the third following a 7-0 spurt. Toliver's runner evened it at 76-all with 8:14 left in the game.

The Sun responded with a 6-0 spurt to take the lead for good. Jones hit a putback before Williams added a pair of inside buckets, the latter after two offensive rebounds to make it 82-76.

A REACH FOR THE SUN

Connecticut has now won four games this postseason, one shy of the team record of five.

TIP INS

Sun: Jones passed her Game 1 scoring total of 12 points when she hit a layup 4:25 left in the first half to reach 14. She had 18 points and 10 rebounds by halftime. ... G Layshia Clarendon (right ankle) did not play after coach Curt Miller said Monday she was questionable for the game. Clarendon hasn't played in a live game since June 16.

Mystics: Delle Donne also missed the teams' first regular season meeting in 2019, an 84-69 Sun victory on May 25. ... C LaToya Sanders picked up a technical for a defensive 3-second violation with 39 seconds left in the first half, and Hawkins committed the same offense midway through the third quarter.

UP NEXT

The series shifts to Connecticut's Mohegan Sun Arena for Game 3 on Sunday afternoon.

 

[Cnotes53]

SCHEDULE FOR SUNDAY OCTOBER 6, 2019
Time (ET) Away Home Site
3:30 PM Washington Mystics Connecticut Sun Mohegan Sun Arena


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


WNBA SEPT./ OCT. PLAYOFFS OPINIONS AND BEST BETS: ALL BASED ON 5 UNITS

DATE W-L-T % UNITS RECORD



10/01/2019.......1-1-0.......50.00%.........-0.50
09/29/2019.......1-1-0.......50.00%.........-0.50
09/22/2019.......0-4-0........0.00%........-22.00
09/19/2019.......2-1-1........66.67%.......+4.50
09/17/2019.......1-3-0........25.00%......-11.50
09/15/2019.......3-1-0........75.00%.......+9.50
09/11/2019...... 3-1-0 .......75.00% ......+9.50

Total.............11 -12-1.......47.82%........-11.00


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

BEST BETS:

DATE........................ATS............. ..UNITS...............O/U..............UNITS...........TOTALS

10/01/2019..............0 - 1................-5.50...............1 - 0.............+5.00............-0.50
09/29/2019..............0 - 1................-5.50...............1 - 0.............+5.00............-0.50
09/22/2019..............0 - 2................-11.00.............0 - 2..............-11.00...........-22.00
09/19/2019..............1 - 0................+5.00..............1 - 1..............-0.50............+4.50
09/17/2019..............0 - 2................-11.00..............1 - 1.............-0.50............-11.50
09/15/2019..............1 - 1................-0.50................2 - 0............+10.00..........+9.50
09/11/2019..............1 - 1................-0.50................2 - 0............+10.00..........+9.50

Totals......................3 - 8 ...............-25.00..............8 - 4...........+18.00............-7.00

 

[Cnotes53]

Wednesday?s 6-pack

Interesting college football spreads this weekend:

? Oregon State @ UCLA (-5.5)

? Iowa @ Michigan (-3.5)

? Northwestern @ Nebraska (-3.5)

? Air Force (-3) @ Navy

? TCU @ Iowa State (-3.5)

? Auburn (-3) @ Florida

Quote of the Day
?Falling down is part of life; getting back up is living.?
Anonymous

Wednesday?s quiz
Who won/lost the last time the World Series was a sweep?

Tuesday?s quiz
Sam Darnold played his college football at USC.

Monday?s quiz
Clint Hurdle managed the Colorado Rockies in their one World Series appearance.

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

Wednesday?s Den: NFL stats after four weeks??

13) Best red zone offenses:
Seattle 6.25 ppp, Cowboys 6.08, Ravens 6.07

Worst red zone offenses:
Dolphins 2.67, Bengals 3.00, Raiders 3.62

12) Best offenses on drives that start 75+ yards from goal line:
Ravens 3.76 ppp, Chiefs 3.19, Chargers 2.88

Worst offenses on drives that start 75+ yards from goal line:
Jets 0.37, Dolphins 0.52, Bucs 0.88

11) Best red zone defenses:
Patriots 2.50, 49ers 2.88, Steelers 3.57, Chiefs 3.76

Worst red zone defenses:
Browns 6.60, Dolphins 6.16, Colts 5.67, Saints 5.57

10) Best defenses on drives that start 75+ yards from goal line:
49ers 0.38, Patriots 0.39, Bills 0.77, Bears 0.84

Worst defenses on drives that start 75+ yards from goal line:
Dolphins 3.05, Cardinals 3.03, Chiefs 2.67, Falcons 2.56

9) QB?s with most passing yards:
Mahomes KC 1,510, Ryan Atl 1,325, Goff LAR/Rivers LAC 1,254

8) QB?s with most touchdown passes:
10? Brissett-Jackson-Mahomes
9? Prescott-Stafford-Wentz-Winston
8? Ryan-Wilson

7) RB?s with most rushing yards:
McCaffrey 411, Cook 410, Fournette 404, Chubb 398

6) Players with most receiving yards:
KAllen 452, Kupp 388, Godwin 386, Adams 378

6) Teams that scored the most points:
135? Chiefs/Ravens
123? Buccaneers
122? Patriots
117? Rams

5) Offenses with most plays of 20+ yards:
Chiefs 27, Chargers/Ravens 23, Lions 22, Falcons 21

4) Offenses that have gained most yards/game:
Ravens 482.5, Chiefs 474.8, Cowboys 425.2, 49ers 421.0

3) Defenses that allowed fewest yards/game:
Patriots 243.0, Bills 280.8, 49ers 283.3, Panthers 287.5

2) Best net punting average:
Redskins 48.5, Giants 46.8, Cardinals/Saints/Eagles 44.8.

1) Best turnover ratios:
+6? Bears/Patriots
+5? Titans
+4? Packers/Jets/Steelers

Worst turnover ratios:
-7? Dolphins
-5? Falcons/Giants/Broncos/Bengals
-3? Panthers/Rams/Redskins

 

[Cnotes53]

Armadillo: Sunday's six-pack

Top six picks for Week 5 in Westgate Super Contest:

6) Ravens -3 (757)-

5) Packers +3.5 (781)-

4) Patriots +15.5 (783)-

3) Buccaneers +3.5 (800)-

2) Vikings -5.5 (951)-

1) Bears -5.5 (1,299)-

2019 record: 13-11


**********

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

13) Virginia Tech 42, Miami 35? Hokies led 28-0 when Miami scored a 44-yard TD on the last play of the first half; Hurricanes tied game 35-all when they scored a TD with 3:16 left in the game, but missed the go-ahead PAT.

Tech then drove 63 yards on five plays for a TD and their first ACC win in three tries.

Miami is 1-3 vs I-A teams, with all four games decided by 7 or fewer points.

12) Navy 34, Air Force 25? Trends are fun and all, but under is now 33-9-1 in the last 43 games between the service academies. This game went over by a decent amount.

11) Speaking of the academies, Army (23-1) scored the first TD of the day, so if you bet them to score the day?s first TD, a prop bet at the SouthPoint, your day started out very well.

10) Texas (-11) 42, West Virginia 31? Mountaineers scored with 0:48 left, pushing the spread; over last 11 years, Texas is now 0-10-1 ATS the week before playing Oklahoma.

This game was closer than the score indicates; WVU outgained the Longhorns 463-407, but they were only 4-14 on 3rd down, Texas was 10-18? Mountaineers turned ball over four times (-3).

9) Florida 24, Auburn 13? Rough day for Auburn?s freshman QB Nix, who was 11-27/145 passing with three INT?s. Florida kept the Tigers in the game by losing five fumbles (-2 in TO?s). Gators outgained Auburn 382-241, teams combined to convert only 6-29 on third down.

8) Iowa State 49, TCU 24? Cyclones have covered their last eight October games.

7) Upsets:
? Virginia Tech (+14) 42, Miami 35
? Stanford (+13) 23, Washington 13
? Texas Tech (+10) 45, Oklahoma State 35
? Georgia State (+7) 52, Arkansas State 38
? Central Michigan (+6) 42, Eastern Michigan 16
? Oregon State (+6) 48, UCLA 31
? Ball State (+5) 27, Northern Illinois 20

6) SMU 43, Tulsa 37 OT? Mustangs were down 30-9 after the 3rd quarter, but won in OT after tying the game with 1:02 left in regulation. Rough night for Tulsa?s kicker, who missed three FG?s and an extra point.

5) Louisville 41, Boston College 39? Total yardage was 664-563, Louisville; they kicked a 41-yard FG with 1:13 left for the win. BC QB Grosel completed only 9-24 passes, but threw three TD?s. Eagles lost three of their last four games? they lost last two by total of five points.

4) Arizona 35, Colorado 30? Total yardage was 496-487 Colorado, but they kicked three FG?s and scored three TD?s, while Arizona scored five TD?s.

Not sure why Colorado fired Mike MacIntyre as coach LY, but they did; I?m thinking they made a mistake, but thats their business, not mine.

3) Oregon State 48, UCLA 31? Beavers led this game 21-0 after 6:01 of play; UCLA is now 1-4, and they trailed 49-17 in the one game they won.

2) Cincinnati 27, UCF 24? Knights turned ball over four times (-3); Gabriel was 25-46/297 passing but threw three INT?s- Davis caught 13 balls for 170 yards for UCF, in a losing cause.

1) There are a few teams that are so terrible you should never even think about wagering on them; UMass, Rutgers, Georgia Tech, Vanderbilt, UNLV.

 

[Cnotes53]

WNBA
Long Sheet

Sunday, October 6

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

WASHINGTON (29 - 10) at CONNECTICUT (27 - 12) - 10/6/2019, 8:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

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

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




WNBA

Sunday, October 6

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

Connecticut Sun
Connecticut is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games
Connecticut is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Connecticut's last 10 games
Connecticut is 6-1 ATS in its last 7 games at home
Connecticut is 12-1 SU in its last 13 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Connecticut's last 6 games at home
Connecticut is 9-4 ATS in its last 13 games when playing Washington
Connecticut is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing Washington
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Connecticut's last 6 games when playing Washington
Connecticut is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against Washington
Connecticut is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Washington
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Connecticut's last 9 games when playing at home against Washington
Washington Mystics
Washington is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games
Washington is 10-2 SU in its last 12 games
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Washington's last 7 games
Washington is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
Washington is 11-5 SU in its last 16 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Washington's last 9 games on the road
Washington is 4-9-1 ATS in its last 14 games when playing Connecticut
Washington is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing Connecticut
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Washington's last 6 games when playing Connecticut
Washington is 1-5-1 ATS in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Connecticut
Washington is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Connecticut
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Washington's last 9 games when playing on the road against Connecticut


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


WNBA
Dunkel

Sunday, October 6


Washington @ Connecticut

Game 605-606
October 6, 2019 @ 3:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Washington
115.794
Connecticut
119.282
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Connecticut
by 3 1/2
171
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Connecticut
by 2
175
Dunkel Pick:
Connecticut
(-2); Under

 

[Cnotes53]

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 6
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

WAS at CONN 03:30 PM

CONN -5.0

O 172.5

 

[Cnotes53]

Washington opens 2-1 lead over Sun
October 6, 2019
By The Associated Press

UNCASVILLE, Conn. (AP) Washington didn't need Elena Delle Donne to be a superstar on Sunday, they just needed her to be out on the court.

The WNBA's MVP provided an emotional lift by playing through a back injury and her teammates responded with a solid effort to beat Connecticut 94-81 and move the Mystics within a victory of winning their first championship.

Delle Donne, who has a herniated disk that is pinching a nerve in her back, had not practiced since leaving Game 2 with back spasms. She finished with 13 points, hitting 5 of her 6 shots and played 26 minutes.

''I just want to be a leader for this team. I love them. I did nothing, I was just on the court, they carried me and they've done that all season long,'' Delle Donne said. ''I love them to death. We have one more to go.''

The 6-foot-5 wing was clearly limited in her movement and stayed mostly on the perimeter, but was effective enough to command the attention of Connecticut's defense.

''Her presence alone, whether she's 100% or 10% just instills confidence in the rest of the group,'' said guard Kristi Toliver. ''She showed a lot of character. She showed a lot of heart just being out there on the court today.''

Toliver, Emma Meesseman and Natasha Cloud carried the offense. Meesseman had 21 points off the bench, including nine to start the fourth quarter. Toliver added 20 points and 10 assists. Cloud chipped in with 19 points. The team made 16 of 27 shots from behind the arc.

Washington will try and close out the series on Tuesday night in Connecticut.

Delle Donne hit an early 3-pointer and the Mystics made six of their nine shots from behind the arc in the first quarter to take a 32-17 lead after 10 minutes.

Washington led by as many as 17 points in the first half. It was 37-23 before the Sun went on a 16-4 run and Washington led 43-39 at the break.

Jonquel Jones converted a 3-point play to open the third quarter cut the lead to one, but that was as close as Connecticut would get.

They trailed by two when Delle Donne hit a 3-pointer from the left wing to make it 58-53. The Mystics took a 68-57 lead into the fourth quarter and stretched that to 18 before a final run by the Sun that Delle Donne ended with a tough layup.

''It was kind of one of those moments, like hey I might give my back up and my body up on this one, but I feel like this is such a big moment to stop that run that they're making,'' she said.

Shekinna Stricklen and Jasmine Thomas each had 16 points for the Sun and Bria Holmes added 15. Jones, who scored 32 points and grabbed 18 rebounds in Connecticut's Game 2 win, scored just nine points to go with her nine boards.

''When the ball was up, they just didn't care if they were getting a rebound or not, they were making sure they were hitting me, keeping me off the offensive glass,'' Jones said. ''It hurt us that I wasn't able to get on the boards.''

COPING

The 6-foot-5 Delle Donne, who averaged 19.5 points and 8.2 rebounds this season, left Tuesday's 99-87 Game 2 loss without scoring a point after playing just over three minutes in the first quarter. There were a few scary moments for her on Sunday. She went down to her knees for a loose ball just over five minutes into the game, was subbed out and went straight to the tunnel. But she returned a few minutes later. The team said it was part of the plan to keep her back warm by having her keep moving and stretch with the trainers instead of sitting on the bench.

''I was just trying to find ways to stay comfortable and stay loose,'' she said. ''We really didn't know if I was going to be able to go today, because I hadn't done anything until right up before the game. We were able to test it a little bit and go from there.''

FROM A DISTANCE

The Mystics tied a WNBA Finals record set by the 2007 Phoenix Mercury with 16 3-pointers in a single game. The team shot 50.7 percent from the floor and 59.3 percent from 3-point range.

REBOUNDS

Washington outrebounded Connecticut 34-27 after being dominated on the boards, 41-27 in Game 2.

TIP INS

Washington: Delle Donne had had averaged 21.4 points and 7.6 rebounds in the Mystics' first five playoff games. She had scored at least 10 points in 23 straight playoff games before Tuesday.

Connecticut: The Sun were 15-2 at home in the regular season and swept their two semi-final games here against Los Angeles. This was the first Finals game at the Mohegan Sun since they went to back-to-back in 2004 and 2005. That team was led by current Mystics coach Mike Thibault, who spent 10 years in Uncasville before being fired in 2012.

''It's a little weird,'' he said. ''I invested a lot while I was here. But the people I coached, the people I worked with most of them are gone. So, the same feel is not there.''

UP NEXT

Washington can win its first WNBA championship on Tuesday night on this same court.

 

[Cnotes53]

SCHEDULE FOR TUESDAY OCTOBER 8, 2019
Time (ET) Away Home Site
8:00 PM Washington Mystics Connecticut Sun Mohegan Sun Arena

SCHEDULE FOR THURSDAY OCTOBER 10, 2019
Time (ET) Away Home Site
8:00 PM Connecticut Sun Washington Mystics The Entertainment and Sports Arena


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


WNBA SEPT./ OCT. PLAYOFFS OPINIONS AND BEST BETS: ALL BASED ON 5 UNITS

DATE W-L-T % UNITS RECORD


10/06/2019.......1-1-0.......50.00%.........-0.50
10/01/2019.......1-1-0.......50.00%.........-0.50
09/29/2019.......1-1-0.......50.00%.........-0.50
09/22/2019.......0-4-0........0.00%........-22.00
09/19/2019.......2-1-1........66.67%.......+4.50
09/17/2019.......1-3-0........25.00%......-11.50
09/15/2019.......3-1-0........75.00%.......+9.50
09/11/2019...... 3-1-0 .......75.00% ......+9.50

Total.............12 -13-1.......48.00%........-11.50


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

BEST BETS:

DATE........................ATS............. ..UNITS...............O/U..............UNITS...........TOTALS

10/06/2019..............0 - 1................-5.50...............1 - 0.............+5.00............-0.50
10/01/2019..............0 - 1................-5.50...............1 - 0.............+5.00............-0.50
09/29/2019..............0 - 1................-5.50...............1 - 0.............+5.00............-0.50
09/22/2019..............0 - 2................-11.00.............0 - 2..............-11.00...........-22.00
09/19/2019..............1 - 0................+5.00..............1 - 1..............-0.50............+4.50
09/17/2019..............0 - 2................-11.00..............1 - 1.............-0.50............-11.50
09/15/2019..............1 - 1................-0.50................2 - 0............+10.00..........+9.50
09/11/2019..............1 - 1................-0.50................2 - 0............+10.00..........+9.50

Totals......................3 - 9 ...............-30.50..............9 - 4...........+23.00............-7.50

 

[Cnotes53]

Armadillo: Tuesday's six-pack

Interesting spreads for this week?s college football:

? Oklahoma (-10) vs Texas

? Iowa State (-9.5) @ West Virginia

? Washington State @ Arizona State (-2.5)

? Washington (-5.5) @ Arizona

? Cincinnati (-7) @ Houston

? Penn State (-3.5) @ Iowa


**********

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

13) 49ers 31, Browns 3? Monday at the Mirage Casino here in Las Vegas, someone wagered $120K to win $52K on the 49ers? money line in this game. Good night for that guy.

? Mayfield completed 8-22 passes for 100 yards; a WR did drop an easy TD that turned into an INT when game was 14-3, but still, he had a miserable night.
? Total yardage was 446-180; luckily for TV networks, only one more primetime game for the overrated Browns.

12) Patrick Mahomes tweaked his ankle Sunday night when one of his own linemen stepped on the ankle while he was pass blocking.

Colts? defense blitzed on 41.9% of Kansas City?s dropbacks, and they were effective.

11) Redskins fired coach Jay Gruden early Monday morning, which won?t help anything; he was 35-49-1 in Washington, with one playoff appearance.

Washington? problem is that their owner is horrendous and he meddles; here are the Redskins? head coaches since Daniel Snyder bought the ball club in 1999:

1994-2000: Norv Turner 50-60-1
2001: Marty Schottenheimer 8-8
2002-03: Steve Spurrier 12-20
2004-07: Joe Gibbs 31-36
2008-09: Jm Zorn 12-20
2010-13: Mike Shanahan 24-41
2014-19: Jay Gruden 35-49-1

Bill Callahan is the Redskins? interim coach; he also replaced Jon Gruden as the Raiders? coach when Gruden jumped to the Buccaneers.

10) Steelers kicked off to start overtime Sunday, which is very unusual, since a TD on the first possession ends the game. Ravens punted on their first drive, so it didn?t come into play, and Mike Tomlin was celebrating like they won the game when Baltimore punted, but Steelers fumbled and lost the game anyway.

Will be interesting to see how the Pittsburgh media deals with Tomlin if he has his first losing season as a head coach- they?re 1-4 right now, with the 3rd-string QB starting for a while.

9) Oregon State executed a drop kick/onside kick against UCLA Saturday; was pretty cool to see, and it worked like a charm. Beavers led 21-0 before first quarter was half over.

8) With Devlin Hodges expected to start at QB for the Steelers in LA Sunday, Paxton Lynch, a former 1st round draft pick of the Broncos, is going to be Hodges? backup.

7) Quote of the Day, part II:
?I (bleep)ing love this!!!!?
Younger guy sitting in front of me the other night in the Aria sportsbook; he was just sitting there taking in all the action, when a couple of his bets won, he started yelling. Good stuff.

6) Blue Ribbon Basketball?s preseason top 6 teams:
Michigan State, Kentucky, Kansas, Duke, Florida, Louisville

5) Tampa Bay 10, Astros 3? Rays drew 32,251 for a 1:00 playoff game, and the TV guys were raving about what a great crowd it was. These teams play Game 4 at 4;30 tomorrow, will be interesting to see what they draw for that game.

4) Cardinals 5, Braves 4 (10)? Molina tied game with an 8th inning single, then won it with a sac fly in the 10th. Decisive Game 5 is Wednesday in Atlanta.

3) Tennessee Titans cut kicker Cairo Santos Monday, after he went 0-4 on field goals in their ugly 14-7 home loss to Buffalo Sunday; they?re expected to sign former Bears? K Cody Parkey to replace Santos.

2) Kansas Jayhawks fired their offensive coordinator Sunday after only six games; you wonder what thats all about. The new OC has a small-college background- the NAIA team he coached LY averaged 55 ppg and 540.3 yards/game.

Jayhawks rank 101st nationally in scoring, 102nd in yards gained, 104th in passing and 116th in first downs per game.

Remember that college assistant coaches are equal parts tacticians/recruiters; players win games, and Kansas is obviously behind its Big X opponents in talent level.

1) Michael D. Smith posted this on Twitter Sunday:

2004 draft class ranked by career passing yards:
56,545 Ben Roethlisberger
56,537 Eli Manning
56,121 Philip Rivers
24,887 Matt Schaub
6,271 JP Losman
2,370 Luke McCown
929 Jim Sorgi
718 Craig Krenzel
342 John Navarre
195 Cody Pickett
136 Matt Mauck
53 Larry Fitzgerald

 

[Cnotes53]

WNBA
Long Sheet

Tuesday, October 8

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

WASHINGTON (30 - 10) at CONNECTICUT (27 - 13) - 10/8/2019, 8:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
CONNECTICUT is 8-5 against the spread versus WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
CONNECTICUT is 7-6 straight up against WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
7 of 13 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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




WNBA

Tuesday, October 8

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

Washington Mystics
Washington is 11-2 SU in its last 13 games
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Washington's last 8 games
Washington is 8-2 ATS in its last 10 games at home
Washington is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Washington's last 5 games at home
Washington is 5-9-1 ATS in its last 15 games when playing Connecticut
Washington is 11-4 ATS in its last 15 games when playing at home against Connecticut
Washington is 10-3 SU in its last 13 games when playing at home against Connecticut
The total has gone UNDER in 13 of Washington's last 18 games when playing at home against Connecticut
Connecticut Sun
Connecticut is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games
Connecticut is 18-7 SU in its last 25 games
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Connecticut's last 11 games
Connecticut is 5-11-1 ATS in its last 17 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Connecticut's last 5 games on the road
Connecticut is 4-11 ATS in its last 15 games when playing on the road against Washington
Connecticut is 3-10 SU in its last 13 games when playing on the road against Washington
The total has gone UNDER in 13 of Connecticut's last 18 games when playing on the road against Washington


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


WNBA
Dunkel

Tuesday, October 8


Washington @ Connecticut

Game 607-608
October 8, 2019 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Washington
119.375
Connecticut
115.700
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Washington
by 3 1/2
180
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Connecticut
by 1
173
Dunkel Pick:
Washington
(+1); Over

 

[Cnotes53]

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 8
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

WAS at CONN 08:00 PM

CONN +1.5

O 175.0

 

[Cnotes53]

Sun force Game 5 in WNBA Finals with 90-86 win over Mystics
October 8, 2019
By The Associated Press

UNCASVILLE, Conn. (AP) With the season on the line, Alyssa Thomas and the Connecticut Sun turned up their defense to stop the Washington Mystics and force a decisive Game 5 of the WNBA Finals.

Thomas had 17 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds and the Sun held the Mystics without a point over the final 2:10 to beat Washington 90-86 on Tuesday night.

''It was just about being together out there, being on the same page, knowing the game plan and protecting home court,'' Thomas said. ''When we're all locked in and on the same page, we just move in unison.''

The title will be decided Thursday night in Washington with a first-time champion crowned. Thomas fell just short of the first triple-double in Finals history.

''We're having the time of our life right now,'' Sun coach Curt Miller said. ''You dream as a little kid being in a deciding final game, a Game 7 or 5 to win a world championship. If you grew up a basketball fan, these are the moments you dreamed of.''

Jonquel Jones had 18 points and 13 rebounds to lead the Sun, who had five players score in double figures.

Connecticut blew a 16-point halftime lead as Washington used a huge third quarter to tie the game at 68. The Mystics kept it going to start the fourth, opening up a five-point lead. With their season on the line, the Sun responded.

Jasmine Thomas hit a 3-pointer to put the Sun ahead 84-81. The lead was short-lived as Emma Meesseman answered with a 3 from the wing to tie the game again.

Shekinna Stricklen, the league's 3-point champion at the All-Star Game, then shook off a defender before making another 3 to give the Sun an 87-84 advantage with 2:22 left. Natasha Cloud made a layup a few seconds later to get the Mystics within one. But Washington didn't score again.

Aerial Powers, who led Washington with 15 points, missed an open 3-pointer in the corner with 27.5 seconds left that would have put the Mystics ahead.

''Both teams were making big shots. We'd make a 3, they'd answer with a 3,'' Miller said. ''Ultimately we made a few more plays down the stretch. We got to the line down the stretch. Alyssa Thomas was best foul shooter in the game.''

Connecticut got the rebound and Jasmine Thomas sank two free throws with 18.4 seconds left to make it a three-point game.

After a timeout, Cloud drove to the basket but missed the shot and Alyssa Thomas corralled the rebound and hit the first of two free throws to seal the win.

''I think we also had a few open shots we didn't hit,'' Powers said. ''The ball movement wasn't there, we didn't hit shots. We need to be better come Thursday.''

Elena Delle Donne, who left Game 2 with back spasms that an MRI later showed resulted from a herniated disk, was able to play more Tuesday night than in Game 3, when she was limited to 26 minutes. The league MVP had 11 points and five rebounds while playing 30 minutes.

''I was a little looser today, so felt better. Hopefully continue to progress and feel better Thursday,'' Delle Donne said. ''They were playing more aggressive defensively. They weren't letting us sit outside and shoot 3s.''

Having a chance to win the title at home on Thursday gave the Mystics some confidence.

''That's what we worked for this whole season,'' Delle Donne said. ''Can't rely on being home to get it done. The way we came out and started the game dug us into a huge hole. They are a great team, and you give that type of lead to them, makes thing difficult.''

FIRST QUARTER PREDICTOR

Game 4 held to form for this series, with the team that led after the first quarter coming away with the victory. The Sun outscored Washington by 15 on Tuesday night.

The Mystics won the opening period of Game 1 by 13 points. Connecticut was ahead by 12 in the second game and Washington by 15 in Game 3. Each time, the team that was trailing in the period had 17 points.

FOUL SHOOTING DISPARITY

Connecticut took 26 free throws to only 13 by Washington, with Delle Donne and Meesseman only combining for three attempts. Mystics coach Mike Thibault wasn't sure why that was the case, especially when the Sun only committed one foul in the final quarter.

''I'm struggling how to understand how Connecticut played with one foul in the fourth quarter,'' he said. ''Free throw attempts was 26-13. If we could have gone to the line a couple times, we could have slowed the momentum down a little bit.''

UP NEXT

Game 5 is Thursday night in Washington.