After a tough overtime loss at home, the Lynx played another close game against the Mercury. Minnesota had a small four-point lead going into the fourth quarter, but it ended up being outscored 9-21 and lost the game 84-76. The Lynx struggled to get the offense going in the fourth, while the Mercury took their defense to the next level.
The loss alone would have been bad enough, as it puts the Lynx just one game away from being eliminated before even making it back to the finals. Seeing Napheesa Collier go down with an injury with just 21 seconds left in the game, made the loss hurt even worse.
After the game, Cheryl Reeve said Collier had probably sustained a fracture. If that is the case, she likely won’t be able to play in Game 4. Without Collier, the Lynx will struggle to keep up with the Mercury and avoid elimination. Maria Kliundikova had another good game off the bench, but Alanna Smith and Jessica Shepard didn’t score and only combined for 20 minutes of playing time. If Collier is sidelined, the Lynx’s frontcourt looks thin compared to the Mercury’s rotation of Alyssa Thomas, Satou Sabally, DeWanna Bonner, Kathryn Westbeld, and Natasha Mack.
The Lynx came into the 2025 season with one goal: winning a championship. That will be much more difficult to accomplish if Collier sustained a significant injury. She was seen using a scooter after the game. Whether that was simply because the training staff wanted her to be cautious and avoid further injury or because it is something that will keep her out of Game 4 is still unclear at this point.
Game 3 ended in dramatic fashion
The Lynx were down four points with about 23 seconds left when the game got completely away from them. Collier got the ball, ready to make a move on Thomas. Thomas swiped the ball, and the two players collided. Collier injured her ankle and went to the ground, but no foul was called, and Thomas got the layup on the other end of the court.
The no-call caused Reeve to storm onto the court and let the officials know how she felt about it. That earned her her second technical foul and an ejection.
This is already the second time in this series that the Lynx ended a game badly. They gave up a 20-point lead in Game 2 and lost the game in overtime.