Minnesota Lynx star and WNBA MVP frontrunner Napheesa Collier injured her right ankle late in the third quarter of a historic 111-58 blowout win over the Las Vegas Aces the largest road victory in WNBA history.
The injury occurred as Collier collided with teammate Alanna Smith while both were pursuing an offensive rebound. Collier’s right foot struck the back of Smith’s left foot, causing her to roll her ankle and fall to the court. The Lynx called a timeout, and Aces star A’ja Wilson came off the bench to help, alongside Lynx forward Jessica Sheppard. Although Collier initially got to her feet with their support, the team’s head athletic trainer instructed her to sit back down. Eventually, she managed to walk to the locker room under her own power, leaning on the trainer for support.
At the time of the injury, Minnesota led 92-49, with Las Vegas already playing their reserves since midway through the third quarter. The Lynx would go on to win by 53, breaking the previous record for the largest WNBA road victory a 45-point Houston Comets win in 1998.
When asked if Collier should have been subbed out earlier due to the lopsided score, Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve stood by her decision. “It’s the third quarter on the road I didn’t think the game was over,” she said. “She was going to be subbed out before the fourth. Sometimes things happen. People will criticize me, but we did what we thought was right.”
Before the injury, Collier had scored 18 points 14 of them in the third quarter after a quiet first half in which her teammates dominated, including Kayla McBride, who tied a WNBA record with eight 3-pointers in one half. Collier, a 2025 All-Star captain, came into the game averaging a league-leading 23.8 points per contest, with the Lynx sitting atop the standings at 24-5.
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