Alyssa Thomas & Co. One Step Closer to Finals as Napheesa Collier Ruled Out for Game 4

Lynx season might just be on the verge of ending the same way their 2024 did. And no, we’re not talking about an exit without a title. We’re talking about frustration, anger, and that gut-punch feeling of being “robbed” because of officiating. What was already a physical series boiled over in Game 3, and by the time the buzzer sounded, Minnesota didn’t have a single thing to smile about. But the real heartbreak? It all came down to what happened with Napheesa Collier.

Collier went down with an injury after colliding with Alyssa Thomas with less than 30 seconds left in Minnesota’s 84-76 Game 3 loss on Friday. She appeared to roll her ankle as she hit the floor following a steal by Mercury star Alyssa Thomas. It wasn’t just a typical tweak. Collier couldn’t even walk off on her own. She had to be helped back to the locker room with 21.8 seconds remaining, the entire Lynx bench holding their breath.

Afterward, Cheryl Reeve revealed Collier “probably has a fracture,” though the team hasn’t given any official update on the full extent of the injury. What they did confirm, though, is Collier is out for Sunday’s do-or-die Game 4 with a left ankle injury. And that’s exactly the kind of bad news Minnesota fans dreaded. It has led plenty of journalists to ask the tough question, could this be it for the Lynx?

Take WNBA reporter Noa Dalzell, for example, who spelled it out clearly. “The reason that it could be over is because right now their backs are against the wall. They lose one more game and that’s it,” she said. “Collier might be done for the postseason.” Dalzell pointed to how Collier was crying and was struggling to put complete weight on her leg. And even if it isn’t a broken bone,  it could be a “bad ankle sprain,” she believes.

“So, I would say at this point it looks pretty likely that she might miss some time. And if she misses time, I just don’t know that this team has the firepower to withstand a Mercury team that has come together in the last few weeks here,” the reporter added. 

(This is a developing story….)

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