Napheesa Collier is back.
The WNBA's MVP favorite was activated for Sunday's Minnesota Lynx game against the Indiana Fever after being sidelined for seven games with a sprained right ankle.
Collier picked up where she left off with 32 points, nine rebounds, two assists and two steals in a 97-84 Lynx win. She went on a personal 5-0 run to start the second half to keep the Lynx in control of the game after they entered the break with a 52-45 advantage.
Collier suffered the injury during an Aug. 2 win over the Las Vegas Aces and had not played since. The Lynx weathered her absence with a 5-2 stint since her injury to maintain the WNBA's best record. They won two out of three games against the reigning champion New York Liberty during a three-game series in Collier's absence.
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The Lynx improved to 30-7 with Sunday's win to increase their lead over the second-place Atlanta Dream (24-13) to six games. Collier's return strengthens Minnesota's grip on the No. 1 seed with seven games remaining in the regular season and bolsters her MVP chances in a race that's tightened up in her absence.
Will Collier make late-season run to secure MVP?
A five-time All-Star, Collier was in the midst of her best season when she suffered the injury. In 26 games prior to Sunday's, Collier averaged 23.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.8 steals and 1.6 blocks per game while shooting 53.7% from the floor and 36.8% from 3. She was the overwhelming MVP favorite at the time of her injury.
Collier remains the betting favorite for the award despite her layoff, but Aces forward A'ja Wilson and Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas closed the gap in her absence to make it a three-player race. Wilson is seeking her fourth-career MVP since 2020, while Collier and Thomas are each in search of their first.
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