The Minnesota Lynx had an early scare against the Chicago Sky on Monday. However, led by star forward Napheesa Collier, the squad regrouped after the break and cruised to an easy win, 91-78, at Wintrust Arena.
After facing a narrow deficit at halftime, the league-leading Lynx clamped down on defense in the last two quarters. They held the Sky to just 32 points to move up to 19-4 in the team standings. Minnesota avenged its loss to Chicago on Saturday, 87-81.
Napheesa Collier Sets Impressive WNBA Record
Like she has done all season, Collier loomed large with a game-high 29 points on 50% shooting from the field, including four three-pointers. She also finished with three rebounds, five assists, and three steals.
According to StatMuse, the 28-year-old Lynx forward became the first player this season to record at least 10 games with 25 points or more. To further convey Collier’s dominance, nobody else has more than five.
While her all-around numbers were impressive, their latest victory over the Sky was a team effort. Collier, who will serve as a team captain in the upcoming WNBA All-Star Game, had ample support. Courtney Williams had 18 points, eight rebounds, seven assists, four steals, and two blocks. Kayla McBride added 17 points, five rebounds, and four assists.
The trio has been playing beautiful music together all season, to say the least. If Collier, Williams, and McBride do not taper off in the second half of the campaign, the Lynx are a lock to make their second straight trip to the WNBA Finals.
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It’s also easy to envision them winning it all. They want nothing more than to avenge their painful defeat to the New York Liberty last season.
Napheesa Collier On Track For Her First MVP
Collier was close to winning her first-ever MVP trophy last season after leading the Lynx to a Western Conference-best 30-10 record. The honor, however, went to Las Vegas Aces center A’ja Wilson, who became a three-time winner.
This year, barring injuries or any unforeseen mishap, Collier could finally win her maiden MVP plum. She leads the league in scoring with 23.6 points and is in the top five in rebounds and blocks with averages of 7.9 and 1.6, respectively.
Early this month, a survey by The Athletic revealed that the majority of the players believe that Collier has supplanted Wilson as the WNBA’s top player. She received 15 votes from the nearly 40 players, who came from all 13 teams, in the poll.
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