Napheesa Collier is officially out for Saturday's matchup between the Minnesota Lynx and New York Liberty.
Although the team announced Friday that Collier's injury status was upgraded from "out" to "doubtful," which led to speculation that she could possibly play, the Lynx star remained sidelined.
Collier has now missed four games with a sprained right ankle. The injury was expected to keep her out for at least two weeks. Even being upgraded to doubtful meant she would probably still miss Saturday's game. Nonetheless, it was an encouraging sign for her return.
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At 27-6, the Lynx entered the weekend with the WNBA's best record, six games ahead of the Atlanta Dream and 6.5 in front of the Liberty. Minnesota has already clinched a playoff spot.
Prior to her injury, Collier was building a strong case to win WNBA MVP. She's the league's leading scorer, averaging 23.5 points per game in addition to 7.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.8 steals and 1.6 blocks. Last season, she finished as runner-up in MVP voting to the Las Vegas Aces' A'ja Wilson while winning Defensive Player of the Year honors.
While no timetable for Collier's return has been announced, Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve told reporters that the star forward is "progressing well" and expected to return before the end of the regular season. Including Saturday's contest, the Lynx have 12 games remaining on their regular-season schedule.
Saturday's game between the Lynx and Liberty is the second of three consecutive matchups between the two teams, alternating between New York and Minnesota in a curious quirk of the WNBA schedule. The Lynx won the first meeting on July 30, 100-93, with Collier scoring 30 points and grabbing nine rebounds. Sabrina Ionescu led all scorers with 31 points for the Liberty.
The Lynx and Liberty played for the WNBA championship last season, with New York winning the Finals in five games. The two teams could be on the path to a rematch.
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