Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier will miss Sunday’s Game 4 against the Phoenix Mercury with a left ankle injury, the Lynx announced Saturday.
Collier suffered the injury with less than 30 seconds remaining in Minnesota’s 84-76 loss, during a consequential sequence that also led to Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve getting suspended for Sunday’s contest.
Collier appeared to roll her ankle late in Game 3 as she fell to the ground following a steal by Mercury star Alyssa Thomas. Collier left the game with 21.8 seconds remaining and needed assistance heading to the locker room.
Reeve said afterward that Collier “probably has a fracture,” though the team has not provided any more details about the severity of her injury.
Collier missed more than three weeks this season with a right ankle injury, with Minnesota going 5-2 in her absence.
Trailing the best-of-5 series 2-1, the Lynx will have to win Game 4 without their star forward and coach on the sideline.
The WNBA announced Saturday that Reeve would be suspended for Game 4 for “her conduct and comments during and following” Minnesota’s defeat.
“Her conduct and comments included aggressively pursuing and verbally abusing a game official on the court, failure to leave the court in a timely manner upon her ejection with 21.8 seconds to play in the fourth quarter, inappropriate comments made to fans when exiting the court, and remarks made in a post-game press conference,” the league said in a statement.
Lynx lead assistant Eric Thibault is expected to assume Reeve’s role Sunday.
Reserve forward Jessica Shepard moved into Minnesota’s starting lineup for six of the seven games that Collier missed this season, while forward Maria Kliundikova started once. No matter who starts, both bigs are expected to play a more significant role in the elimination game.
The top-seeded Lynx entered the semifinals looking to reach consecutive WNBA Finals for the first time since 2017. Phoenix has not made the WNBA Finals since 2021.
(Photo: Christian Petersen / Getty Images)
Sep 28, 2025
Connections: Sports Edition
Spot the pattern. Connect the terms
Find the hidden link between sports terms
Play today’s puzzle