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Napheesa Collier’s injury status has been upgraded from “out” to “doubtful for the Minnesota Lynx’s matchup on with the New York Liberty, the team announced on Friday.
Collier, 28, has missed the Lynx’s past three games with a sprained right ankle. The injury was expected to sidelined her for at least two weeks, so the change in her status follows that timeline. Being upgraded to doubtful means that she will probably still miss Saturday’s game versus the Liberty. Nonetheless, it’s an encouraging sign for her return.
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At 27-6, the Lynx have the WNBA’s best record, six games ahead of the No. 2 seeded Atlanta Dream and 6.5 in front of the Liberty. Minnesota has already clinched a playoff spot.
Prior to her injury, Collier was building a strong case to win WNBA MVP. She’s the league’s leading scorer, averaging 23.5 points per game in addition to 7.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.8 steals and 1.6 blocks. Last season, she finished as runner-up in MVP voting to the Las Vegas Aces’ A’ja Wilson while winning Defensive Player of the Year honors.
While no timetable for Collier’s return has been announced publicly, Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve told reporters, including the New York Post’s Madeline Kenney, that the star forward is “progressing well” and expected to return before the end of the regular season. Including Saturday’s contest, the Lynx have 12 games remaining on their regular season schedule.
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Saturday’s game between the Lynx and Liberty is the second of three consecutive matchups between the two teams, alternating between New York and Minnesota in a curious quirk of the WNBA schedule. The Lynx won the first meeting this season, 100-93, with Collier scoring 30 points and grabbing nine rebounds. Sabrina Ionescu led all scorers with 31 points for the Liberty.
The Lynx and Liberty played for the WNBA championship last season, with New York winning the Finals in five games. The two teams could be on the path to a rematch.
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