Minnesota is flying high, as star Napheesa Collier returned from injury to lift the No. 1 Lynx over No. 15 Seattle 86-76 yesterday behind 24 points and 10 rebounds.
The forward made her 2026 debut after recovering from an offseason double ankle surgery, addressing damaging sprains suffered last season.
“I felt like a kid in a candy store — I couldn’t wait to get on the court,” Collier said postgame. “I’m just happy to be here.”
Despite missing its cornerstone all season, Minnesota entered Wednesday’s matchup on a six-game winning streak atop the WNBA standings.
Rookie phenom Olivia Miles leads the team with 19.6 points per game. Veteran Natasha Howard has shouldered the defense with 8.1 rebounds per game.
“We do recognize the narrative of someone who’s been incredible like Olivia has — to insert Phee, what do they look like together?” said Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve. “I’m just as excited to find out.”
Minnesota closes out the first half of the season at 22-6, returning to action against No. 10 Toronto on Tuesday at 8 PM ET (WNBA League Pass).
