The Minnesota Lynx suffered a potentially significant blow when four-time WNBA All-Star Napheesa Collier injured her left foot in the third quarter of Thursday’s 78-73 loss to the Connecticut Sun.
Collier cut into the lane without the ball and pulled up lame despite barely making any contact — if any — with the defender. She limped her way to the bench and eventually back to the locker room, where the team announced she would not return.
It’s hard to overstate just how impactful Collier has been for the Lynx, who entered the month tied with the Sun for the third-best odds to win the title at +700.
Her Win Probability Added when on the court is 15%, according to ESPN’s Analytics team, which is second-best in the league behind the Aces’ A’ja Wilson (19%).
Now, as we await word on the extent of her injury, the Linx dropped to fourth-best to win it all at FanDuel at +850. The Aces are favored at +140, followed by the New York Liberty (+180) and Sun (+750).
Collier’s averaging 20.0 points, 10.2 boards, 3.7 assists and 2.2 steals for the Lynx, who own the league’s third-best record at 14-6. She was just named MVP of the Commissioner’s Cup final last week, helping lift Minnesota to a 94-89 victory with a 21-point, six-rebound and three-assist effort.
Collier was set to play in next week’s WNBA All-Star festivities as well as for the American women’s team later this month.
Meanwhile, Wilson entered the month a massive favorite (-550) to win her third WNBA MVP Award, according to FanDuel, which would tie Sheryl Swoops, Lisa Leslie and Lauren Jackson for most in league history.
It’s easy to see why she’s such a heavy favorite, as she’s averaging 26.5 points per game, which would set a new league record by surpassing Dianna Taurasi’s 25.3 PPG in 2006.
Nonetheless, Collier was her biggest competition with the second-best odds (+2400) entering July, even if those odds suggest she’s a distant threat considering Wilson’s historic season.
Collier’s odds dropped to +3800 Friday morning, while Wilson’s improved to -600. Connecticut’s Alyssa Thomas (+2000) and New York’s Breanna Stewart (+3100) are now second and third, respectively.
