Napheesa Collier didn’t just carry the Minnesota Lynx to another victory—she showed once again why she’s at the center of the WNBA’s early MVP conversation.
Collier poured in 28 points on 8-of-13 shooting, grabbed eight rebounds, and added two assists, two steals, and a block to lead the Lynx to an 85-81 win over the Dallas Wings on Wednesday night at Target Center. She was also perfect from the free-throw line, finishing 12-for-12, matching her career high in makes and icing the game in the final seconds.
“She locked in, she on a mission this year,” said teammate Courtney Williams. “She know it’s her year to go get that MVP. We need her to do this every night.”
Through three games, Collier is averaging 28.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 1.3 steals per game while shooting 57.6% from the floor, 44.4% from three-point range, and a perfect 100% from the line. Her production has helped propel Minnesota to its first 3-0 start since 2019.
Napheesa Collier Shows Fourth-Quarter Poise and Two-Way Impact
With the Wings closing the gap late—cutting the lead to just two points with under a minute remaining—Collier calmly stepped to the line and hit two clutch free throws to seal the result. It capped off a dominant stretch in which she went 6-for-6 from the stripe in the final quarter alone.
“They were flooding the paint a lot,” Collier said. “So just trying to slow myself down, be patient, and hit open shooters. When they rotate like that, it’s about making the right read.”
Collier did much of her damage in the third quarter, shooting 5-of-6 in the paint while shouldering the offense. Her presence was equally important on the defensive end, where Minnesota tightened up in the fourth—forcing five turnovers and holding Dallas to just 15 points in the frame.
“We had moments where we couldn’t stretch the lead,” head coach Cheryl Reeve said. “But Napheesa was the one leading the break, putting us in good positions. Defensively, she’s so active.”
The Lynx also held a 22-8 advantage in fast break points and won the rebounding battle, 43-27, with Jessica Shepard pulling down a game-high 10 boards.
Minnesota Lynx Offer Balanced Support
Williams contributed across the board with 11 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists—including five rebounds in the final two minutes. Natisha Hiedeman added 10 points and eight assists, extending her WNBA-leading active streak to 179 consecutive games played. Alanna Smith scored 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting with six rebounds and two blocks.
Collier praised the group’s composure when Dallas made its late run.
“I think our team is really good at staying steady,” she said. “We’re not pointing fingers when mistakes happen. We just try to fix it on the next play. That’s one of our superpowers, honestly.”
The Wings dropped to 0-3 despite a breakout night from rookie Paige Bueckers, who tallied 12 points and 10 assists—becoming just the third rookie in league history to record a 10-point, 10-assist game within her first three appearances. Arike Ogunbowale led Dallas with 21 points and made five 3-pointers, becoming the fastest player in league history to reach 500 made threes, tying Diana Taurasi at 198 games.
Minnesota now turns its attention to Friday night’s matchup against the Connecticut Sun. With Collier setting the tone on both ends, the Lynx are showing signs of a team capable of much more than just a strong start.
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