Napheesa Collier injury: Lynx star ruled out of Game 4 with left foot injury suffered late in heated Game 3
The top-seeded Lynx will be without their best player and head coach as they try to keep their season alive
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1 min read
Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier has been ruled out of Game 4 of the WNBA semifinals on Sunday with a left foot injury, the team announced Saturday. Collier suffered the injury late in the Game 3 semifinal loss to the Phoenix Mercury on Friday night.
With under 30 seconds remaining, Collier appeared to roll her left ankle when Alyssa Thomas stole the ball from her and their legs collided. Although it was a no-call since the tip was clean, it was still an unfortunate situation and emotions were high after the game. Collier was seen crying on the bench before being helped to the locker room. She was later seen in a wheel chair.
Minnesota finished Game 3 without Napheesa Collier or Coach Cheryl Reeve.
— espnW (@espnW) September 27, 2025
Coach was assessed a second technical foul and ejected after Collier collided with Alyssa Thomas on this play. pic.twitter.com/6ZNGuUSXi9
There has been a lot of physicality in this series, which led to Minnesota coach Cheryl Reeve confronting officials after Collier's injury and getting ejected from the game. During her postgame press conference, she did not hold back while criticizing the referees and WNBA leadership.
On Saturday, the WNBA announced that Reeve would be suspended for Game 4 due to her comments.
Cheryl Reeve suspended: Lynx coach will miss Game 4 of WNBA semifinals vs. Mercury after ejection, comments
Isabel Gonzalez
In August, Collier missed seven games due to a right sprained ankle. The Lynx went 5-2 in her absence, which helped the team lock in the No. 1 seed. Still, this was the best season of Collier's career; she became only the second player in WNBA history to join the 50/40/90 club, shooting 53.1% from the field, 40.3% from three-point range and 90.6% from the free-throw line. She finished second in MVP voting behind A'ja Wilson.
Collier has also been a key leader for the Lynx during the playoffs while averaging a team-best 20.6 points per contest. On the opposite side of the court, Collier's defense is considered among the best in the league and she has had one of the toughest assignments this series by being one of the main defenders on Thomas.
Friday's 84-76 loss against the Mercury put the Lynx in a tough situation as they fell 1-2 in their best-of-five series. They will have to figure out how to bounce back if they want to avoid elimination and force a Game 5 in Minnesota.
Game 4 will take place in PHX Arena on Sunday at 8 p.m. ET.
