Napheesa Collier Suffers Injury During Lynx-Mercury Game 3

Minnesota Lynx superstar Napheesa Collier went down with a devastating ankle injury in the closing moments of the team's pivotal Game 3 loss at Phoenix

Sep 26, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier (24) shields the ball from Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas (25) during game three of the second round for the 2025 WNBA Playoffs at PHX Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images / Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images

A consequential Game 3 loss for the Minnesota Lynx took a disastrous turn in the game's final minute, as superstar forward and MVP runner-up Napheesa Collier was helped off the floor after re-injuring the same ankle in which a sprain kept her out of action for nearly the entire month of August.

Collier was emotional as she walked off the floor and into the locker room with the help of a trainer, a scene strikingly and devastatingly similar to the one on Aug. 2 when she initially went down against the Las Vegas Aces. That injury ultimately cost Collier the MVP this season, and the immediate worry in the aftermath of Friday's setback is that it could end up costing the championship.

Minnesota finished Game 3 without Napheesa Collier or Coach Cheryl Reeve.

Coach was assessed a second technical foul and ejected after Collier collided with Alyssa Thomas on this play. pic.twitter.com/6ZNGuUSXi9

— espnW (@espnW) September 27, 2025

While Collier was being helped off the floor, Cheryl Reeve was going nuclear into what she believed was a missed foul call on the play where Collier was injured. The replay review indicates that Collier's ankle turning was the main culprit of her fall, but Reeve's devastation in that moment, given the potential gravity of Collier being injured again, was certainly understandable.

According to Dana Scott of AZ Sports, Collier was seen on a scooter following the game.

For clarification, Collier was not in a wheelchair. It was a scooter

— DANA (@iam_DanaScott) September 27, 2025

When the buzzer sounded just a few moments later, the already bleak situation turned even gloomier. The No. 4 seed Mercury secured an 84-76 victory to take a 2-1 advantage in the Best of 5 series, putting themselves on the verge of the WNBA Finals in the first year of the post-Diana Taurasi era.

What It Means For The Lynx

The No. 1 seed Minnesota is now on the verge of elimination, with Game 4 also being played on the road in Phoenix on Sunday afternoon. With Collier's status officially in question, it's entirely possible and perhaps even likely that the Lynx have now been forced into a winner-take-all scenario without one of the league's best players no longer at their disposal.

Collier finished with 17 points before leaving Friday's game, her fewest in a game since a Sept. 4 loss to the Aces. Natisha Hiedeman led the Lynx with 19 points off the bench, while Courtney Williams added 14 points and Kayla McBride added 12.

Game 4 is scheduled for Sunday at 8 p.m. EST/5 p.m. PST from PHX Arena in Phoenix. The Mercury are currently -1.5 point favorites at the time of publishing, with the line moving from Minnesota -2.5 in the immediate aftermath of Collier's injury and the Lynx falling to a 2-1 deficit on Friday.

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