Napheesa Collier had to sit out seven games due to a right ankle injury sustained on August 2 against the Las Vegas Aces.
Now, facing the Indiana Fever without their stars such as Caitlin Clark, Sophie Cunningham, Sydney Colson, and Aari McDonald, the WNBA MVP candidate shone in her return.
Collier makes franchise history
Napheesa picked up where she left off as if she had not missed a single game and demonstrated her talent during her time on the court: in 31 minutes of play, she scored 32 points.
She also added nine rebounds, two assists, and two steals in the team’s 97-84 victory over the Fever.
Collier’s performance not only demonstrates her power despite having to miss several games, but also her role on the team. The win over Indiana was the team’s 30th this season, tying the franchise’s all-time record.
With a current record of 30-7 and six games ahead of the second-place Atlanta Dream in the WNBA standings, the Lynx became the first team to reach 30 wins this season.
As if that weren’t enough, Collier herself matched the mark set by Las Vegas Aces star A’ja Wilson, another strong MVP candidate, with 15 games of at least 25 points. However, Napheesa achieved this having played seven fewer games. This increases her lead over Wilson.
Meanwhile, the Minnesota Lynx and Collier will face the Seattle Storm next Thursday, August 28, at the Target Center. The Las Vegas Aces and Wilson will face the Chicago Sky at Wintrust Arena on Monday, August 25.
With only seven games remaining, it will be interesting to see how this WNBA MVP story unfolds.
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