Minnesota Lynx star and WNBA MVP frontrunner Napheesa Collier will remain out for her team’s game against the Atlanta Dream on Thursday. Collier, who has not played since Aug. 2 due to a sprained right ankle, was initially upgraded to questionable for Thursday, and is closing in on a return.
Collier’s injury, which occurred during the Lynx’s historic 53-point win over the Las Vegas Aces, stirred controversy because it happened late in the third quarter with her team up by 43 points. Many wondered why Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve still had her superstar in the game.
“I don’t think about those things,” Reeve said at the time. “It’s the third quarter of a game on someone else’s floor, I don’t think the game is over. I don’t think like that. She had a sub there and she wasn’t gonna play in the fourth quarter. Sometimes these things happen. I get it, people are gonna rail on me, and that’s part of sitting in the seat that I’m sitting in. But we did what we think is right, and sometimes these things happen. It’s unfortunate and hopefully she’ll be OK.”
Luckily for the Lynx, Collier avoided a major injury, and because of a schedule quirk they had a full six days off while she was sidelined. Collier has been on the mend for nearly three weeks, but Thursday’s contest will only be the sixth one she’s missed.
The Lynx are 4-1 during this stretch without Collier, and despite a loss to the reigning champion New York Liberty on Tuesday that snapped their six-game winning streak, they’ve actually increased their lead in the race for the No. 1 seed to 6 1/2 games while Collier has been out.
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The Lynx were the first team to clinch a playoff spot this season and will soon officially clinch the No. 1 seed and homecourt advantage throughout the playoffs. From a results perspective, the only real storyline left for the Lynx is whether they’ll break the 2023 Las Vegas Aces’ single-season wins record of 34. They need seven more wins to do so, though they have an extra four games this season with the expanded schedule.
On an individual level, Collier’s return is a major storyline in the MVP race. She was cruising to her first MVP before going down, and in the meantime A’ja Wilson and Alyssa Thomas have gained significant ground. Wilson has led the Aces on an eight-game winning streak with a series of 30-point games, while Thomas has made more triple-double history as she keeps the Mercury in the mix for a top-four seed.
Still, Collier is the betting favorite at -400 per Caesars Sportsbook, with Wilson at +405 and Thomas at +475. Collier is averaging a league-leading 23.9 points to go along with 7.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.8 steals and 1.6 blocks on 54/37/91 shooting splits. If Collier picks up where she left off before her ankle sprain, she will still likely win the award, but it is no longer a foregone conclusion.