WNBA : Napheesa Collier did not need long to get back to business
Ten weeks out, two ankle operations, and plenty of questions about how quickly she would shake off the rust. Napheesa Collier wasted no time answering them. In her first appearance of the season, the Minnesota Lynx star posted 24 points and 10 rebounds in just 22 minutes in the win at Seattle (86-76).
She did not force the issue early, either. Collier waited until the end of the first quarter for her first basket before steadily turning the screw. By halftime, she was already everywhere. A three-pointer, a step-back jumper with the foul, then a string of big plays when the Storm cut the gap to one late on. Her trip to the free-throw line finally killed Seattle’s momentum.
Olivia Miles used the wait to take charge
Collier’s return now leaves Cheryl Reeve with a nice problem: how do you fit your best player back into a side that was already rolling? Minnesota had won 21 of its first 27 games without her and sat atop the WNBA even before getting its MVP contender back.
That absence, meanwhile, handed Olivia Miles an unusual start to her career. The rookie did not have the luxury of easing in behind an established star. The ball was put in her hands straight away, with the job of running the offence and keeping it moving. She was allowed to make mistakes, reset and grow in confidence without having to wait for her turn. At 19,6 points and 6 assists a game, the No. 2 pick in the last Draft has already gone straight into life as a pro.
So Collier returns to a team that did not just sit around and wait. Miles has grown into the role, Natasha Howard has made her presence felt inside and Kayla McBride has kept her place as the main scoring reference. Some minutes and numbers are bound to dip, but Minnesota now has more answers than it did at the start of the season.
Try it for $0.99.
Dominique Malonga kept Seattle in the fight for a long time
Seattle did not let the night turn into a stroll. Eight down heading into the fourth quarter, the Storm clawed back to 77-76 through Flau’jae Johnson and Dominique Malonga. The Frenchwoman finished with 21 points, 9 rebounds and 4 blocks, going toe to toe with a Minnesota frontcourt that was suddenly looking a lot more solid.
It still was not enough to avoid a sixth straight defeat. The Lynx handled the closing possessions better and sealed a seventh win in a row before the All-Star Game break. Minnesota was already ruling the league without Collier. After this first outing, the warning for everyone else is even starker: she looks like she never really left.
Discover all the latest WNBA news on our site and the mathodds app !
in your pocket.
Real-time notifications & alerts
Leave a Reply