The Lynx made history when they beat the Las Vegas Aces by over 50 points on the road. The win was overshadowed by an injury to Napheesa Collier. She rolled her ankle late in the third quarter and has been out ever since.
While it is an adjustment for the Lynx to play without their MVP candidate, it hasn’t led to any losses yet. Minnesota beat Seattle, Washington, and New York without Collier, extending its winning streak to five. The Lynx have learned some vital lessons over the last three games, even though head coach Cheryl Reeve is convinced that none of it is truly new.
“I think what we learned is what we know, but it gets reinforced is how gritty we are,” Reeve said after her team’s win over the defending champions. “This team doesn’t break. They don’t break. You might beat us sometimes, but you’re not breaking us.”
Knowing that the team can overcome adversity and how important it is for them to sustain their gritty identity will only help the Lynx as they chase the 2025 WNBA Championship. This stretch of games also shows that the Lynx don’t need Collier to do everything for them and that they can lean on other players whenever necessary.
The Lynx’s first two games without Collier were close
The Lynx have gotten decisive victories all season long. Only ten of the Lynx’s 27 victories were decided by less than ten points. Minnesota’s wins against Seattle and Washington in the first two games without Collier were uncharacteristically close. The Lynx won both games by four points. They only reached such a small margin of victory three times before.
So, playing without Collier while also easing DiJonai Carrington into the system was obviously a challenge for the Lynx. They overcame the challenge quickly, though, beating the defending champions by 12 points.
The game was close in the first half, but the Lynx managed to pull away after a 30-point performance in the third quarter, underlining their standing as the title favorites.
Different players stepped up every game
The Lynx’s resilience these last three games was encapsulated in how many different players stepped up.
Against Seattle, Courtney Williams led the team in scoring, Jessica Shepard recorded a double-double, and Alanna Smith had five steals and two blocks. When they faced the Mystics, Smith emerged as the team’s top scorer, and DiJonai Carrington led the bench with another double-digit scoring performance. In New York, Kayla McBride led the team in scoring, and Carrington, Natisha Hiedeman, and Maria Kliundikova played huge minutes off the bench.
The latter was especially impressive. The Lynx beat the Liberty without Collier while Williams got in foul trouble early and Shepard struggled with the opposing frontcourt. Kliundikova and Hiedeman filled in admirably. Granted, New York was also without Breanna Stewart, but it is still a dangerous team, especially with the addition of Emma Meesseman.
Different Lynx players will have to continue to step up and help the team overcome the challenge of playing without Collier. The Lynx have a tough stretch of games coming up with matchups against the Liberty, Dream, Fever, and Storm.