U.S. Sports Today: McBride Makes WNBA History, Don Nelson Dies, Golf Playoffs Set and NFL Preseason Heats Up
Monday, August 10, 2026
The sports world opens the week with history in the WNBA, a major loss for the NBA community, high-stakes movement in professional golf, an unexpected quarterback change in Detroit and another dramatic NASCAR finish.
Baseball also rolls directly into another full slate Monday as the MLB postseason races continue to tighten.
Kayla McBride Makes WNBA History With 10 Three-Pointers
Minnesota Lynx guard Kayla McBride delivered one of the greatest shooting performances in WNBA history Sunday, hitting a league-record 10 three-pointers while scoring a career-high 43 points in Minnesota's 103-90 victory over the Dallas Wings.
McBride shot 10-of-14 from three-point range as Minnesota continued its push at the top of the league.
The performance also helped the Lynx become the first WNBA team to clinch a playoff berth this season.
For a league that continues to produce increasingly explosive offensive performances, McBride just moved the three-point bar another floor higher.
Sunday WNBA Finals
- New York Liberty 111, Las Vegas Aces 71
- Washington Mystics 95, Phoenix Mercury 75
- Minnesota Lynx 103, Dallas Wings 90
- Golden State Valkyries 84, Los Angeles Sparks 78
WNBA Games Tonight
Toronto Tempo at Atlanta Dream
7:00 p.m. CT
Chicago Sky at Seattle Storm
9:00 p.m. CT
Tuesday brings another marquee matchup when the New York Liberty visit the Indiana Fever at 6:30 p.m. CT.
NBA Coaching Legend Don Nelson Dies at 86
Basketball lost one of its most influential coaching figures with the death of Don Nelson at age 86.
Nelson was the second-winningest head coach in NBA history and also won five championships as a player with the Boston Celtics. His family confirmed his death Sunday but did not announce a cause.
His coaching career included stops with the Milwaukee Bucks, Golden State Warriors, New York Knicks and Dallas Mavericks.
Nelson became known for unconventional offensive ideas and lineups that often looked years ahead of the rest of the league.
Long before positionless basketball became fashionable, Nelson was already experimenting with the recipe.
Michael Brennan Wins Wyndham and Crashes the FedExCup Playoffs
The final PGA Tour regular-season event produced plenty of movement.
Michael Brennan won the Wyndham Championship at 22-under 258, collecting 500 FedExCup points and $1.53 million.
The victory launched Brennan from 105th to 47th in the FedExCup standings and secured his place in the postseason.
Meanwhile, 21-year-old Jackson Koivun held onto the 70th and final playoff position after tying for 29th at Wyndham.
His qualification left several established veterans outside the playoff field, including Keegan Bradley, Jason Day, Tony Finau and Brooks Koepka.
The FedEx St. Jude Championship begins Thursday, August 13, with the top 70 players advancing into the first event of the FedExCup Playoffs.
Jon Rahm Clinches Third Consecutive LIV Golf Season Championship
Jon Rahm has added another season-long championship to his résumé.
Rahm officially secured his third consecutive LIV Golf individual championship Sunday with one regular-season tournament remaining.
Rahm entered LIV Golf New York with such a large points advantage over Bryson DeChambeau that DeChambeau was unable to close the gap.
Rahm will receive the league's $18 million season championship prize.
Lions Turn to Josh Dobbs After Teddy Bridgewater Steps Away
Detroit's quarterback room changed quickly over the weekend.
Lions coach Dan Campbell announced that veteran quarterback Teddy Bridgewater was stepping away from the team. Detroit then moved to add veteran Joshua Dobbs behind starter Jared Goff.
Bridgewater previously retired following the 2023 season before eventually returning to the NFL.
Dobbs gives Detroit an experienced option as preseason football ramps up.
NFL Preseason Games Coming Thursday
Detroit Lions at Cincinnati Bengals
6:00 p.m. CT
Green Bay Packers at Pittsburgh Steelers
6:00 p.m. CT
Indianapolis Colts at New England Patriots
6:30 p.m. CT
Arizona Cardinals at Las Vegas Raiders
7:00 p.m. CT
Los Angeles Chargers at Houston Texans
7:00 p.m. CT
Tennessee Titans at San Francisco 49ers
8:00 p.m. CT
The preseason continues Friday and Saturday, including the Dallas Cowboys at Seattle Seahawks at 7:00 p.m. CT Saturday.
Ty Gibbs Wins NASCAR Thriller at Iowa
Ty Gibbs won Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series race at Iowa Speedway, holding off Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Christopher Bell in the closing laps.
Gibbs beat Bell by just 0.253 seconds, with Ryan Blaney finishing third.
The victory was Gibbs' second career Cup Series win and moved him to second in the series points standings.
Iowa Corn 350 Top Five
- Ty Gibbs
- Christopher Bell
- Ryan Blaney
- Josh Berry
- Denny Hamlin
MLB Sunday Final Scores
Sunday's Major League Baseball slate produced several decisive results, including another Arizona victory over the Dodgers and an 11-1 Mets rout of Pittsburgh.
- Nationals 7, Reds 1
- Braves 2, Yankees 1
- Athletics 4, Red Sox 3
- Phillies 7, Blue Jays 6
- Mets 11, Pirates 1
- Marlins 12, Angels 3
- Cubs 10, Royals 2
- Brewers 4, Twins 3
- White Sox 5, Guardians 3
- Cardinals 7, Rockies 4
- Orioles 10, Rangers 5
- Tigers 3, Giants 1
- Rays 4, Mariners 1
- Diamondbacks 4, Dodgers 2
- Padres 7, Astros 2
Arizona's Eduardo Rodriguez struck out nine as the Diamondbacks handed the struggling Dodgers another 4-2 defeat.
MLB Games Tonight
A full Monday baseball schedule begins this evening.
Boston Red Sox at Toronto Blue Jays
6:07 p.m. CT
New York Mets at Atlanta Braves
6:15 p.m. CT
Baltimore Orioles at Minnesota Twins
6:40 p.m. CT
Philadelphia Phillies at St. Louis Cardinals
6:45 p.m. CT
Texas Rangers at Los Angeles Angels
8:38 p.m. CT
Milwaukee Brewers at San Diego Padres
8:40 p.m. CT
Tampa Bay Rays at Athletics
8:40 p.m. CT
Colorado Rockies at Arizona Diamondbacks
8:40 p.m. CT
Houston Astros at San Francisco Giants
8:45 p.m. CT
Kansas City Royals at Los Angeles Dodgers
9:10 p.m. CT
What to Watch Next
The WNBA playoff race: Minnesota has punched its ticket, but positioning across the rest of the league remains very much alive.
MLB postseason races: August baseball is beginning to carry October consequences, particularly for contenders trying to avoid prolonged losing streaks.
NFL preseason: Thursday launches another major round of preseason games as coaches evaluate quarterback rooms, rookies and final roster battles.
FedExCup Playoffs: Golf shifts immediately from qualification drama to championship mode when the top 70 arrive in Memphis.
NASCAR: Ty Gibbs' Iowa victory strengthens his championship position with the regular season moving deeper into its final stretch.
Refocused Perspective
This is the part of the sports calendar where everything starts overlapping.
Baseball is chasing October. Football is waking up. The WNBA is moving toward its postseason. NASCAR is tightening its championship picture. Golf just slammed the regular-season door shut and immediately opened another one.
Basically, the remote control is about to start working overtime.
Sources and Full Links
Associated Press — Don Nelson, second-winningest NBA coach, dies at 86
https://apnews.com/article/don-nelson-dead-nba-coach-3efb8d106f6f6374512696b1a249fd01
MPR News / Associated Press — Kayla McBride sets WNBA three-point record
https://www.mprnews.org/story/2026/08/09/kayla-mcbride-hits-wnba-record-10-3-pointer-scores-43-as-lynx-beat-wings-103-90
WNBA — Kayla McBride 43-point performance
https://www.wnba.com/watch/video/kayla-mcbride-points-leader-in-minnesota-lynx-vs-dallas-wings-top-points
Reuters — FedExCup field and Jackson Koivun's final playoff spot
https://www.reuters.com/sports/golf/fedex-cup-field-streaks-end-jackson-koivun-cements-final-playoff-spot--flm-2026-08-10/
PGA Tour — Michael Brennan wins Wyndham Championship
https://www.pgatour.com/article/news/daily-wrapup/2026/08/09/round-four-wyndham-championship-sedgefield-country-club-scores-leaderboard-results-fedexcup-playoffs-bubble
Reuters — Jon Rahm wins third straight LIV Golf season championship
https://www.reuters.com/sports/golf/jon-rahm-lands-3rd-straight-liv-golf-individual-title--flm-2026-08-09/
Reuters — Teddy Bridgewater steps away from Detroit Lions
https://www.reuters.com/sports/backup-qb-teddy-bridgewater-step-away-lions--flm-2026-08-09/
NASCAR — Ty Gibbs wins Iowa Cup Series race
https://www.nascar.com/news-media/2026/08/09/2026-cup-series-iowa-race-recap-results/
NASCAR — Official Iowa race results
https://www.nascar.com/live-results/nascar-cup-series/2026-iowa-corn-350-powered-by-ethanol/
Associated Press — MLB coverage and latest scores
https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
ESPN — Latest Sports News
https://www.espn.com/espn/latestnews
ESPN — WNBA Schedule
https://www.espn.com/wnba/schedule