All season long, Napheesa Collier has been the favorite to win the 2025 MVP award. After finishing second in voting behind A’ja Wilson last season, Collier has taken her game to another level. She is currently leading the league in points per game with 23.9 and free-throw percentage, and ranks third in plus-minus. With a 17-3 record, the Lynx are also the best team in the WNBA.
Nothing is set in stone yet, though. Collier has plenty of challengers for the MVP award. You can never count out A’ja Wilson and many fans are desperate to put Caitlin Clark in the conversation as well. Allisha Gray is putting together a quiet MVP case in Atlanta.
After the Mercury’s 79-71 win over the Lynx, it should be obvious that Alyssa Thomas is actually the biggest threat to Collier’s MVP run.
Alyssa Thomas played one of her best games of the season
Despite playing without Satou Sabally and Kahleah Copper, the Mercury handed the Lynx their third loss of the season. The reason was a masterpiece from Alyssa Thomas.
Thomas finished the game with 29 points, eight rebounds, five assists, and two steals. She scored incredibly efficiently, converting 58.3 percent of her field goal attempts. Thomas also got to almost thirty points without attempting a single 3-pointer and only getting to the line once.
The All-Star put her short-handed team on her back and carried it past the best competition in the league. She led the team in almost every statistical category and was Phoenix’s driving force on both ends. The Mercury’s next-best scorer was Monique Akoa-Makani with 13 points.
Thomas won the head-to-head matchup against Collier
The Lynx had already defeated the Mercury twice coming into this game. The first time neither Collier nor Thomas played. The second time around, Thomas was still out as Collier led her team to a decisive victory. So, this game marked the first time Collier and Thomas played each other this season.
Collier played a solid game, finishing with 18 points, seven rebounds, two assists, one steal, and two blocks. For most players, that is a great performance. For Collier, it is solid but nothing special.
It also was no match for Thomas’s big game.
Alyssa Thomas is one of the most underrated stars in the WNBA
Alyssa Thomas dealt with an injury to start the season, but has been playing well whenever she has been available. Thomas has only scored less than ten points once this season, and has been a playmaking and rebounding machine. She has grabbed ten or more rebounds three times this season, and dished out at least ten assists in seven games, including three games with 15 assists.
Thomas may not be a super flashy player and doesn’t spend as much time in the spotlight as some of her peers, but she is undoubtedly one of the best players in the league. Her omission from the All-Star starter pool was probably the biggest snub of the voting process.