WNBA: What does Napheesa Collier need to do to complete her MVP resume?

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There are three WNBA games scheduled for Thursday, beginning with the New York Liberty hosting the Washington Mystics at 7 p.m. ET on Prime Video. The Seattle Storm then take on the Minnesota Lynx at 8 p.m. ET on WNBA League Pass. The final game will feature the Phoenix Mercury against the Chicago Sky, and it will also be exclusive to Prime Video.

While each game has some intrigue, the most fascinating one is Lynx-Storm. This is the only game between two teams currently in the playoffs. And even bigger than that, it features Napheesa Collier, who is currently the topic of conversation when it comes to the MVP Award.

Since her rookie season, Collier has been a dominant player in the WNBA. She’s a five-time All-Star, won the 2024 Defensive Player of the Year and was the All-Star Game MVP this year. Individually, the only thing left to do is win the MVP award, and as a team player, the last accomplishment left is a WNBA title.

As the leader of the Lynx, Collier is on a mission to kill two birds with the 2025 stone that is in her hand.

This season, Phee has been on a tear. She’s averaging 23.9 points, 7.6 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.8 steals and 1.6 blocks per game. That’s career highs in points, assists and blocks while playing fewer minutes this season than she has in the previous two years.

Collier is leading the WNBA in scoring, and she’s also at the top in other advanced categories that contextualize her dominance. When Collier is on the floor, the Lynx have outscored opponents by 329 points. No player has a plus-minus total that large.

When Collier missed seven games recently due to an ankle injury, her absence was felt. Sure, the Lynx managed to go 5-2 in those games, which isn’t bad, but it was only the third-best winning percentage during that timeframe. Simply put, without Collier, the Lynx are good. With her, they are a juggernaut.

To capture her first MVP, Collier has to play amazingly the rest of the way. In her first game back against the Indiana Fever, she did just that, scoring 32 points and grabbing nine boards to help Minnesota defeat Indiana.

Thursday’s game provides another opportunity for Collier to display her dominance—against a playoff contender in the Storm—and convince voters she deserves the honor over A’ja Wilson and Alyssa Thomas.

The Liberty and Mercury better not lose

The Mystics are fighting for their playoff lives and facing a Liberty team focused on finishing as high as possible in the standings. New York is currently in the No. 5 seed and, now with Breanna Stewart back on the court, certainly would like to go on a win streak that puts them in position for homecourt advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

The Mercury are the team just a game ahead of the Liberty in the fourth seed. To maintain that spot, as well as to prove that they’re as good as they think they are, they should win in blowout fashion over a Sky squad that is simply finishing out its schedule. It’s also an opportunity for Thomas, already with a single-season record seven triple-doubles, to compile another one—and keep her name squarely in the MVP conversation.