YIS 08 21 26

Hey, I'm Chris Horvidell and this is Yesterday in Sports. The show that gets you caught up on the biggest things that happened yesterday, why they mattered, and what you need to know before pretending you watched every second of it. Here we go. Welcome to Yesterday in Sports, I'm Chris Horvidell. Thursday brought Cleveland a major commitment to James Harden, Dallas a statement win over one of the WNBA's hottest teams, and St. Louis one of baseball's strangest ninth-inning victories. We've also got a significant Turkish soccer transfer, two preseason NFL games, and a growing group of NFL players interested in the Olympics. We'll begin in Dallas where Arika Ogunbowale scored a season-high 32 points and Jessica Shepard added a career-high 26 as the Wings beat Indiana 91-85. Kelsey Mitchell scored 36 for the Fever, but Kaitlyn Clark finished with just 10 points on 3-of-13 shooting. Paige Beckers also struggled scoring 13 points for Dallas, but the Wings received enough production elsewhere to end Indiana's five-game winning streak. Shepard scored 22-over-26 before halftime. Ogunbowale then produced 25 after the break, which allowed Dallas to shift the offense towards its best scorer when Indiana adjusted. For the Fever, this was less a reason for alarm than a reminder that their margin becomes much smaller when Clark can't shoot it efficiently. Indiana remains Lucky Rebel's third choice, its championship favorite a plus-750 behind Minnesota and Las Vegas, but its recent improvement has depended on multiple creators rather than Clark carrying every possession. Atlanta set a franchise record by routing Los Angeles 124-88. Angel Reese went 9-9 from the field, finishing with 20 points, 10 rebounds, and 8 assists. Ryan Howard scored 26 as the Dream shot 63.9%. Las Vegas beat Connecticut 101-78. Jackie Young scored 24 points in three quarters, while Asia Wilson added 20. The Aces broke open a one-point halftime game with a 16-0 third-quarter run. In the NBA, James Harden agreed to return to Cleveland on a reported three-year, $97 million contract. The deal includes a player option for the 28-29 season and a trade kicker. Harden declined a $42.3 million option earlier this summer to pursue a longer commitment. But Harden averaged 20.5 points and 7.7 assists in 26 games after arriving from the Clippers at the trade deadline. And the Cavs still need his ability to organize their half-court offense. Cleveland also acquired Peyton Watson through a three-team sign-and-trade deal with Denver and the Clippers. Watson's new contract is reportedly worth $88 million over four years and includes a player option and trade kicker. Watson is 23 and averaged a career-high 14.6 points last season. His size and defensive versatility give Cleveland another useful wing after the Cavaliers were swept in the Eastern Conference Finals. Denver received an unprotected 20-31 Cleveland first-round pick and a 20-32 Sacramento second-round pick. The Clippers acquire Max Struess who averaged 11.2 points after returning from injury last season. Tonight, Golden State hosts Chicago as a lucky Rebel 5.5-point favorite with a total at 162.5. The Valkyries have already clinched a playoff berth, but maintaining their defensive level against a Chicago team capable of creating problems inside remains important for postseason positioning. In the NFL, Las Vegas erased a 20-3 halftime deficit to beat Houston 22-20. Number one overall pick Fernando Mendoza completed eight of his 15 passes for 86 yards and threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown. Aidan O'Connell led a 96-yard winning drive, scoring on a one-yard run with 14 seconds remaining. Kirk Cousins didn't play, so Mendoza's half shouldn't determine the Raiders' quarterback plan, but it showed how quickly preseason pressure can build around a top draft pick. The 49ers beat the Chargers 41-17 with Jacob Cowing returning a punt 83 yards for a touchdown while Sincere McCormick rushed for 53 yards and a score. The Broncos are also reportedly signing veteran safety Taylor Rapp. Denver hadn't officially announced the move or financial terms as of this recording. Rapp is 28 and recovering from a knee injury that ended his season after six games last year. He had 12 interceptions and 488 tackles across 93 career games. If the medical evaluation is satisfactory, Denver adds an experienced safety capable of contributing in coverage and against the run without making a long-term commitment. In soccer, Galatasaray signed 21-year-old Russian attacking midfielder Alexey Botrakov from Lokomotiv Moscow. Galatasaray paid $25 million and signed Botrakov to a five-year contract worth a reported $3.25 million per year. Lokomotiv will receive 15% of the profit from any future transfer. Botrakov produced 17 goals and 12 assists across 36 appearances last season. Galatasaray are buying both immediate creativity and considerable resale potential, while Botrakov moves into a Champions League environment at the beginning of his prime developmental years. While a separate transfer situation remains developing, Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso declined to guarantee Enzo Fernandez's future amid reports linking the midfielder with Man City. Fernandez remains under contract and no agreement has been reached. Reports say Chelsea could consider a bid worth about $120 million. In baseball, Milwaukee improved the Major's best record to 79-49 by beating Seattle 7-4. Garrett Mitchell hit a home run, doubled twice, and drove in three. Milwaukee scored six times in the first inning and has now won four of its last five. The Brewers' pitching depth and balanced lineup have made this much more than a temporary run. Lucky Rebel list Milwaukee a plus-8 50 to win the World Series behind only the Dodgers and the Yankees. St. Louis produced the day's wildest finish scoring six unearned runs in the ninth and holding off Cincinnati 10-9. With two outs, Dane Myers dropped J.J. Weatherford's routine fly ball, allowing the tying run and go-ahead runs to score. Cincinnati answered with four runs in the bottom half but left the bases loaded. The Angels routed Houston 18-3 as Zach Netto collected five hits in a career-high 7 RBIs. Cleveland beat San Francisco 5-2 and Toronto defeated Tampa Bay 5-1 behind seven strong innings from Shane Bieber. Atlanta one-hit the White Sox in a 2-0 win. Kansas City completed a four-game sweep of the Athletics with a 6-2 victory and the Yankees beat Baltimore 6-1 behind eight strikeouts from Garrett Cole. Texas shut out Washington 2-0 as Jacob deGrom reached 2,000 career strikeouts while allowing one hit over six innings. The futures market still make Los Angeles the clear standard. Lucky Rebel has the Dodgers at plus-165 with the Yankees at plus-800. But Milwaukee's record should argue that the gap may be larger in price than it currently is on the field right now. More than 200 NFL players from at least 25 countries have expressed interest in Olympic flag football according to the league. The 2028 Los Angeles games will include six men's and six women's teams. NFL owners have already approved player participation, although final selection and insurance procedures still need to be established. Joe Burrow has expressed interest while Patrick Mahomes has said the opportunity should go to younger players. There's some interesting games on the WNBA schedule tonight including Minnesota visiting Washington. The Lynx are Lucky Rebel's five-point favorites with a total of 163.5. Minnesota are also the championship favorites at minus-110. So every remaining game carries expectations beyond simple qualifying for the postseason. Portland hosts Toronto with the fire favored by 1.5 at Lucky Rebel and the total set at 168. That number anticipates pace and offense but both teams still need to prove they can produce efficiently when the game slows down late. A night full of roster decisions, playoff planning, and late-inning baseball doesn't leave much reason to make dinner another project. That's why we love Factor as much as we do. Factor delivers fresh, chef-prepared, dietician-approved meals that are ready to heat and eat in about two minutes. They have high-protein, calorie-smart, keto and vegan plus veggie options that make it easier to finish the day with something delicious. Check out factor75.com for more information. I'm Chris Horvidell and that's it for today's show about what happened yesterday. We'll see you tomorrow.