The Minnesota Lynx will attempt to stave off elimination without both their head coach and their franchise player.
The team announced Saturday that forward Napheesa Collier will miss Game 4 of the WNBA semifinals in Phoenix with a left foot injury suffered in the closing moments of Friday’s 84-76 loss to the Mercury.
The Lynx now trail the best-of-five series 2-1 and must win Sunday to keep their season alive.
Collier went down with 21.8 seconds remaining after Phoenix forward Alyssa Thomas poked the ball free near midcourt. Their legs tangled, and Collier rolled her ankle as Thomas raced for the layup that sealed the game.
Collier limped to the bench in tears before being helped to the locker room. She was later seen leaving the arena in a wheelchair.
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Her loss is a devastating blow for Minnesota. Collier, the runner-up for league MVP, averaged 20.6 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 2.4 assists through five playoff games while drawing the defensive assignment against Thomas.
She also delivered a historic regular season, becoming just the second player in WNBA history to shoot 50% from the field, 40% from three, and 90% at the free-throw line.
This is not the first time Collier has been sidelined with an ankle issue. She missed seven games in August with a sprain to her right ankle, and Minnesota managed a 5-2 record in her absence.
The Lynx finished the year with 34 wins, tying the league record and securing the top overall seed.
Coach Cheryl Reeve, who was ejected from Game 3 after berating officials in the aftermath of Collier’s injury, will also not be on the sideline.
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The WNBA suspended her for one game for what it called “verbally abusing a game official,” failing to exit the court in a timely manner and for inflammatory postgame comments about officiating leadership.
Associate head coach Eric Thibault will take over in her place.
The play that injured Collier has fueled debate throughout the league. The National Basketball Referees Association publicly defended the no-call, posting video of the sequence online with the caption: “This is NOT a foul. Thomas legally gets to the ball and knocks the ball loose prior to any contact. The leg to leg contact is incidental once the ball is clearly loose.”
Without their star forward and veteran coach, the Lynx will look to Kayla McBride, Courtney Williams and their supporting cast to extend the series to a decisive Game 5 back in Minnesota.
Game 4 is set for Sunday at 8 p.m. ET at PHX Arena.
For more on the Minnesota Lynx, Phoenix Mercury, and WNBA, head over to Newsweek Sports.
