INDIANA (19 - 10) at CONNECTICUT (18 - 12)
Top Trends for this game.
INDIANA is 75-109 ATS (-44.9 Units) as an underdog since 1997.
INDIANA is 4-14 ATS (-11.4 Units) as a road underdog of 3 points or less over the last 3 seasons.
CONNECTICUT is 6-0 ATS (+6.0 Units) as a home favorite of 3 points or less over the last 3 seasons.
CONNECTICUT is 27-15 ATS (+10.5 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent over the last 3 seasons.
INDIANA is 21-9 ATS (+11.1 Units) after allowing 75 points or more over the last 2 seasons.
INDIANA is 25-12 ATS (+11.8 Units) after scoring 75 points or more over the last 2 seasons.
INDIANA is 10-3 ATS (+6.7 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
INDIANA is 23-12 ATS (+9.8 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 77+ points/game over the last 2 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
INDIANA is 7-4 against the spread versus CONNECTICUT over the last 3 seasons
INDIANA is 7-5 straight up against CONNECTICUT over the last 3 seasons
8 of 12 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
WASHINGTON (5 - 24) at ATLANTA (16 - 13)
Top Trends for this game.
WASHINGTON is 209-258 ATS (-74.8 Units) in all games since 1997.
WASHINGTON is 125-164 ATS (-55.4 Units) as an underdog since 1997.
WASHINGTON is 130-168 ATS (-54.8 Units) vs. division opponents since 1997.
Head-to-Head Series History
ATLANTA is 6-6 against the spread versus WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
ATLANTA is 7-6 straight up against WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
8 of 13 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
NEW YORK (17 - 13) at MINNESOTA (24 - 6)
Top Trends for this game.
MINNESOTA is 11-4 ATS (+6.6 Units) in home games this season.
MINNESOTA is 14-5 ATS (+8.5 Units) after a non-conference game over the last 2 seasons.
NEW YORK is 8-2 ATS (+5.8 Units) against Western conference opponents this season.
NEW YORK is 8-2 ATS (+5.8 Units) in non-conference games this season.
NEW YORK is 73-49 ATS (+19.1 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a winning record since 1997.
NEW YORK is 46-26 ATS (+17.4 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a winning record after 15+ games since 1997.
Head-to-Head Series History
MINNESOTA is 3-1 against the spread versus NEW YORK over the last 3 seasons
MINNESOTA is 2-2 straight up against NEW YORK over the last 3 seasons
4 of 4 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
SEATTLE (17 - 13) at TULSA (3 - 26)
Top Trends for this game.
SEATTLE is 50-72 ATS (-29.2 Units) in road games after a division game since 1997.
SEATTLE is 28-14 ATS (+12.6 Units) vs. division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
SEATTLE is 29-18 ATS (+9.2 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 77+ points/game over the last 2 seasons.
TULSA is 25-37 ATS (-15.7 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
TULSA is 18-31 ATS (-16.1 Units) after allowing 75 points or more over the last 2 seasons.
TULSA is 8-18 ATS (-11.8 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
SEATTLE is 6-3 against the spread versus TULSA over the last 3 seasons
SEATTLE is 8-2 straight up against TULSA over the last 3 seasons
6 of 10 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
WASHINGTON vs. ATLANTA
The total has gone UNDER in 11 of Washington's last 16 games
Washington is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Atlanta is 3-6 ATS in its last 9 games when playing Washington
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Atlanta's last 8 games when playing Washington
INDIANA vs. CONNECTICUT
Indiana is 15-7-1 ATS in its last 23 games
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Indiana's last 7 games when playing Connecticut
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Connecticut's last 8 games
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Connecticut's last 7 games when playing Indiana
NEW YORK vs. MINNESOTA
The total has gone UNDER in 13 of New York's last 18 games
New York is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Minnesota
Minnesota is 3-6 ATS in its last 9 games when playing at home against New York
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Minnesota's last 9 games when playing at home against New York
SEATTLE vs. TULSA
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Seattle's last 5 games
Seattle is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
Tulsa is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Seattle
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Tulsa's last 10 games
Fever, Sun Clash In WNBA Betting Battle
By: Adam Markowitz
The Indiana Fever could move one step closer towards becoming the No. 1 seed in the WNBA playoffs on Friday night when they take on the Connecticut Sun. WNBA TV will have live coverage of this crucial clash, which gets started at 7:30 p.m. (ET) at the Mohegan Sun Arena.
Home-court advantage is always crucial when analyzing the WNBA odds, and the proof is definitely in the pudding in this matchup. Indiana is sitting at 19-10 straight up and 17-11-1 against the spread on the campaign, but the Fever are just 7-7 SU outside of Conseco Fieldhouse and will face a tough test to take down Connecticut (18-12 SU, 16-14 ATS) who is 13-2 SU at home.
Indiana bucked the trend the last time that these two met, pulling off the upset as 5½-point underdogs here at the Mohegan Sun Arena, winning 69-58 to hand the Sun one of their two home losses on the season.
As a result, Connecticut is 1½-games out of first place in the Eastern Conference. The Fever have already clinched a playoff berth and have a magic number of three to clinch the top spot in the East for the postseason. The Sun can punch their postseason ticket with a win on Friday night.
Indiana has been slipping of late though, especially having all sorts of problems with the Atlanta Dream. The Dream knocked off the Fever in back-to-back games, winning 86-80 at Conseco Fieldhouse on August 27 and 92-90 on August 30 at Phillips Arena.
The Fever have now dropped three of their last four games, which has really made this Eastern Conference race a heck of a lot tighter than perhaps it should have been.
With fourth-leading scorer Briann January sitting on the bench, Indiana has gone just 2-4-1 ATS. January's season-ending knee injury has left the trio of Tamika Catchings, Katie Douglas and Jessica Davenport to pick up the slack.
Catchings is one of the best all-around players that this league has to offer. She's averaging 15.8 PPG, 7.0 RPG, and 3.6 APG. The former Tennessee Volunteer has averaged 21.4 PPG in her last seven games, but the Fever are only 4-3 SU and 4-2-1 ATS to show for her work in that stretch.
Meanwhile, Connecticut has been sliding as well with consecutive losses on the road to the Tulsa Shock and San Antonio Silver Stars. The team has lost four in a row as visitors, which is why these final four games are so important.
The New York Liberty are only a game in the Sun's rearview mirror for the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference, a seed which ensures home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
The Sun have really dropped off defensively, allowing at least 72 points in nine straight duels. The team is allowing 78.7 PPG on the campaign, only good enough to rank No. 8 in the WNBA.
The offense is paced by four double-digit scorers – Tina Charles, Renee Montgomery, Asjha Jones and Kara Lawson.
This is the fifth and final meeting between these two teams in the regular season. Indiana holds a 3-1 SU and ATS edge coming into Friday's clash. However, Connecticut is 7-3 ATS in the last 10 meetings of these rivals at the Mohegan Sun Arena.
The Fever are 15-7-1 ATS in their last 23 games overall and have covered four straight spreads following an SU defeat. Connecticut is 8-3 ATS its last 11 conference games and 5-2 ATS in the last seven coming off a SU defeat.
Fever - Sun Preview
By Associated Press
The Indiana Fever and Connecticut Sun clinched postseason berths their last time out. Neither team, however, has played like a championship contender of late.
The Fever and Sun will both be trying to avoid a third consecutive loss when the Eastern Conference's top two teams meet Friday night at Mohegan Sun Arena.
Indiana (19-10) saw its chances of passing Minnesota for the top spot in the league take a huge hit Tuesday, as Atlanta completed a home-and-home sweep of the Fever with a 92-90 win.
Indiana, loser of three of four, led by five late but committed one of its 19 turnovers - 10 more than the Dream - with 7.9 seconds to go. That led to Sancho Lyttle's winning jumper with 0.9 seconds remaining.
The Fever did secure a seventh consecutive playoff berth with Chicago's loss to New York the same night.
"I think we played hard, just not smart in certain situations," said Tamika Catchings, who had 21 points and seven rebounds.
The Fever trail the Lynx by 4 1/2 games with five to play. While their chances of earning the top overall seed are slim, they can inch closer to locking up the No. 1 seed in the East by continuing their season-long success against the Sun.
Indiana has taken three of four from Connecticut (18-12) and held it to a season-low point total in a 69-58 road victory July 28. The Fever limited Tina Charles to 13 points and 5-of-16 shooting.
Charles wasn't very efficient from the floor Tuesday night either, scoring 16 points but going 5 of 17 as Connecticut fell 78-66 at San Antonio - its fourth loss in six games.
The Sun also clinched a playoff berth thanks to the Sky's defeat, but coach Mike Thibault was less than thrilled with his team's effort.
"It doesn't feel real good," Thibault said. "You'd rather win to get in. I don't like backing in. We knew we were going to get in eventually, but it's not a fun way to have it happen."
While the Sun have dropped four straight on the road, they've won four in a row at home while averaging 95.3 points - 14.7 more than their season mark.
Connecticut, back in the postseason for the first time since 2008, hasn't lost three straight since a four-game skid July 30-Aug. 5, 2010.
Indiana fell 76-71 to the Sun on July 17, part of a season-high three-game losing streak. Catchings had 18 points and a season best-tying 15 boards.
Dream - Mystics Preview
By Associated Press
After a disastrous start, all the Atlanta Dream need to do to return to the playoffs is take advantage of a favorable stretch over the next four days.
The surging Dream can move another step closer to the postseason Thursday night when they go on the road to try to hand the lowly Washington Mystics a 10th straight loss in the opener of a home-and-home set.
Atlanta got its defense of its Eastern Conference title off to a slow start with a 3-9 mark. The Dream are playing better now as winners of eight of 10 and three straight, and they can cut their magic number to clinch a playoff spot to one with a victory Thursday.
"We have amazing spirit on this team," coach Marynell Meadors said. "I'm very proud of them. There were many times when they could have folded up."
The Dream (16-13) return home Friday to face Washington (5-24) before hosting league-worst Tulsa on Sunday. Two victories will put Atlanta back into the playoffs.
The club's confidence is on the rise after back-to-back wins over East-leading Indiana. Angel McCoughtry had 28 points and Sancho Lyttle hit a short jumper with 0.9 seconds left in Tuesday's 92-90 home victory.
Atlanta closed the game on a 9-2 run.
"This team has a lot of heart," said McCoughtry, who is second in the WNBA with 20.7 points per game. "We showed that again tonight and we've shown it all season. When you have struggles in the beginning, it makes winning so much better."
A big reason for the turnaround is the play of McCoughtry, who played sparingly in a 98-90 home loss to Washington on June 9 in the Dream's second game of the season. She averaged 25.0 points in the next two meetings, with Atlanta winning both at the Verizon Center.
The Dream will try to do a better job of containing Crystal Langhorne, averaging 25.7 points on 52.7 percent shooting to go with 10.0 rebounds per game in the season series. Langhorne is second in the WNBA in field-goal percentage at 55.6.
Washington has not lost 10 straight since an 11-game slide June 13-July 9, 2003. The Mystics fell 73-56 at league-leading Minnesota on Tuesday.
Langhorne scored a team-high 13 points after averaging 24.7 over her previous three games.
"We couldn't score the ball and we had some turnovers, and against a team like Minnesota who is so talented offensively, we can't let them get transition baskets and things like that," she said.
Liberty - Lynx Preview
By Associated Press
The Minnesota Lynx are one win away from home-court advantage throughout the WNBA playoffs. The New York Liberty need one victory to clinch a second straight postseason berth.
These teams meet for the first time in 2011 in a weekend home-and-home series that begins Friday night at the Target Center.
Minnesota (24-6) has won six straight to secure the top record in the Western Conference. One win or a loss by East-leading Indiana will ensure home-court advantage for the Lynx.
"I think that the way to keep on track is to play as hard as you possibly can every moment you're on the floor," center Taj McWilliams-Franklin said. "I think that any doldrums or complacency you may have, you can fight it by playing as hard as you possibly can every moment.''
The Lynx won their franchise-record ninth straight at home Tuesday, 73-56 over Washington, and fans in the Twin Cities are eagerly anticipating the club's first postseason appearance since 2004.
"I think that this team has kind of fostered this growth of the fans and I think the environment, I think we give them something to be excited about when they're here," coach Cheryl Reeve said. "It's a very interactive crowd, and I think we're fun to watch and they've enjoyed it."
New York (17-13) took a big step toward the postseason by rallying for a 71-67 home victory over Chicago on Tuesday. The Liberty trailed by 14 with 7:49 left.
"We weren't making shots but we got after it defensively," star guard Cappie Pondexter said. "We made shots harder for them, which allowed us to get out and kind of get going.''
Pondexter scored 19 points and Plenette Pierson added 17 as New York won for the fourth time in six games. Both losses in that span were by one point.
"We like playing with our backs against the wall," Pierson said. "It is kind of bad, but we know when to go out and grind it out."
Both teams have played well against the other conference, with New York 7-3 against the West and Minnesota 7-2 versus the East. These teams, which meet Sunday in Newark, split their two 2010 matchups.
McWilliams-Franklin will face her teammates from last season for the first time. The veteran center started all 34 games for the Liberty in 2010, helping the club reach the Eastern Conference finals.
New York will get its first look at Lynx guard Maya Moore, who earned rookie of the month honors for the second straight time by averaging 12.3 points in August.
Storm - Shock Preview
By Associated Press
With home-court advantage in 2010, the Seattle Storm swept through the postseason en route to their second WNBA title. The Storm are hoping to begin this season's playoff run at KeyArena, especially with how they've come up short on the road.
Needing one win to match a league record with an eighth straight postseason berth, Seattle will try to avoid its first five-game road losing streak in five years Friday night against the league-worst Tulsa Shock.
After posting a league- and franchise-best 28-6 record last season, the Storm had the home-court edge in every round of the playoffs and went 7-0 - four at KeyArena - to claim the championship.
They already know they won't have the same advantage throughout this year's playoffs because Minnesota has clinched the best record in the Western Conference. Seattle (17-13), tied for the league's best home record at 13-2, is in a tight race with Phoenix for the No. 2 seed.
"We've still got four games left," Sue Bird said after Seattle's season-high four-game winning streak was snapped with Tuesday's 68-62 loss at Los Angeles.
"We have a shot at second place, which would give us home-court advantage."
The Storm can equal the Sparks' league record (1999-2006) for consecutive playoff appearances, but they're 4-11 on the road after going 0-4 in August - the last three by a total of 10 points.
Heading to Tulsa could help Seattle avoid its first five-game road skid since July 22-Aug. 8, 2006.
The Storm have won five straight over the Shock (3-26) and are 4-0 in the season series, including two matchups in Tulsa.
When these teams met last Thursday, Seattle extended Tulsa's league-record losing streak to 20 with a 74-57 home victory. However, the Shock won two straight following that defeat, though they fell 96-74 to the Mercury on Tuesday.
"Tulsa has really improved, they have more energy now," Phoenix coach Corey Gaines said.
Tulsa is getting a much-needed two days of rest before Friday's matchup after playing six times in 10 days.
"That's just a little too many games and it's catching up to us right now," interim coach Teresa Edwards said. "I think we're really tired."
Forward Tiffany Jackson hasn't looked that way against Seattle this season, averaging 15.5 points and 8.5 rebounds - better than her season averages of 12.0 and 8.2.
Storm center Lauren Jackson is averaging 15.0 points and 5.6 rebounds in five contests since missing 20 with a torn hip labrum suffered in an 82-77 victory at Tulsa on June 21. Jackson had 14 points and three boards last Thursday.
Bird is averaging team highs of 16.5 points and 5.0 assists against the Shock in 2011.