Napheesa Collier looked like herself again Wednesday night, scoring 24 points and grabbing 10 rebounds as Minnesota beat Seattle 86-76. It was the Lynx's seventh straight win, and it sent them into the All-Star break with the best record in the WNBA at 22-6.
The Lynx look like the league's most complete team, leading the WNBA with a 10.3 net rating due to the second-ranked offense (112.4) and top defense (102.1). Reintegrating a player who averaged 22.9 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 3.2 assists last season boosts a team already playing like a championship favorite.
It began with a sprained right ankle against the Aces last August, worsening a few weeks later when Collier tore three ligaments in her left ankle in the WNBA semifinals against the Mercury. She hadn't played since. After surgeries on both ankles—right in January and left in March—she rejoined practice on July 1, missing the first 10 weeks of the season.
Easing Phee Back In
Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve eased Collier into the rotation instead of giving her too high a workload too soon.
"She'll tell you those first three minutes were probably the hardest because of the adrenaline, then the adrenaline crash," Reeve said. "After that, she felt great in the second half."
Reeve let herself enjoy the milestone before tipoff.
"Yesterday, we celebrated the fact that she was able to take this next step," Reeve said. "Before the game, we celebrated being able to write her name on the board again when we put together our matchups."
Once the game started, though, the plan never changed, even though Collier made it look easy to score within the flow of the Lynx's offense.
"We weren't going to chase a win by either pulling her early if things weren't going well or leaving her out there longer than planned just to win the game," Reeve said.
Collier finished with a double-double in 22 minutes, making 2 threes.
"It's kind of fitting that No. 24 scored 24 points in her return," Reeve said. "I liked that a lot."
WELCOME BACK PHEE 🤩
— WNBA (@WNBA) July 22, 2026
Napheesa Collier connects on the jumper for her first bucket in her 2026 debut game!
MIN-SEA | League Pass
Tap to watch: https://t.co/jl7cOX4aZq pic.twitter.com/es5nVPGlPv
Emotional Moment
For Collier, the emotions started well before the opening tip.
"I was just so excited. I felt like a kid in a candy store," she said. "I couldn't wait to get on the court with these guys."
Settling into the game only took a few minutes. She detailed how she really settled into the game after her first stint on the floor.
"I definitely needed that first substitution," Collier said. "After that, I felt like I got my feet under me a little bit. It was really just a year of pent-up excitement, so there was definitely some settling in. But my teammates always have me. They've supported me through this entire process, including today, so I knew they had my back no matter what. I was just happy to be back on the court with them again."
Focusing on Defense
Returning to a Minnesota squad that has it rolling, Collier was intent on being additive rather than disrupting the flow. She wanted to make an impact defensively.
"My goals were all defensive," she said. "I wanted to get rebounds, create deflections, and do those kinds of things."
That came from a conversation with Reeve the day before, which helped her stay locked in without adding pressure for her to dominate the game offensively.
"I'm a very goal-oriented person," Collier said. "Setting defensive goals helped me stay focused and kept my mind off the offensive side. I naturally have high expectations for myself, so it's hard not to think that way."
The process to get to this point has been long, but Collier has stuck with it. She has recently played pickup to get through the mental hurdle of overcoming such an injury as opposed to there being concern about the physical aspect.
"I've been playing pickup, so it's definitely something that's been on my mind because there's a mental side to coming back from an injury," Collier said. "You know what can happen when you get hurt, and it's been a long process to return."
Collier ultimately no longer feels a concern about suffering an injury again after going through game reps. As the flow of the game plays out, the focus is just on doing what it takes to win.
"I've been playing basketball for so long that once the game starts, those thoughts kind of go away," she said. "You're focused on playing instead of worrying about getting hurt. It's there at first, but it fades into the background as the game goes on."
Minnesota's Defense Takes Over
Seattle challenged Minnesota early, scoring 45 first-half points, but the Lynx looked much more like themselves after the break.
"We weren't executing our basic defensive concepts," Reeve said.
Minnesota held Seattle to 31 points in the second half, in line with the 102.1 defensive rating that leads the WNBA. That defense has been the foundation of the Lynx's league-best 10.3 net rating and why they've spent most of the season setting the pace atop the standings.
"I expected this game to stay well below 100 because both teams are among the better defensive teams in the league," Reeve said.
Seattle also cooled off from three after hitting 13 shots from deep in Monday's matchup between the teams.
"They made 13 threes the last time we played them," Reeve said. "Tonight they had some open looks, but they didn't make them. That's how basketball works from game to game."
The Storm made a final push. Dominique Malonga scored 21 points and 9 rebounds, and Awa Fam had a 10-point, 10-rebound double-double. Flau'jae Johnson scored 5 points in a 19-second stretch late in the fourth to cut Minnesota's lead to one, and Fam fouled Collier with 1:19 left. Collier made both free throws to seal it.
None of it surprised Kayla McBride, who felt the way Minnesota closed the game was time for Collier to do what she does best, which is make big plays in big moments.
"Those last five minutes of the game were fun because you knew it was time for [Collier] to take over, making big baskets, big free throws, making winning plays," McBride said. "That's who she is."
Kayla McBride's All-Star Case Keeps Growing
McBride kept up her best offensive stretch yet, scoring 20 points on 3 3-pointers, with 3 rebounds, 2 assists, and 3 steals. She's scored 20 points or more in eight consecutive games and is averaging 18.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 2.2 assists this season. She's played a key role in leading Minnesota's offense while Collier was sidelined.
Olivia Miles chipped in 13 points of her own. Her rookie averages of 19.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 6.0 assists have positioned her as a favorite for Rookie of the Year. Her presence as a floor general has helped put the whole unit in positions to succeed as simply as possible despite missing such a great player like Collier.
Natasha Howard put up 11 points of her own and has been steady in the frontcourt all season, averaging 15.9 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 3.1 assists since Jessica Shepard left for the Dallas Wings. Courtney Williams went scoreless after coming off a 21-point performance against Seattle in the first of these two matchups, and has averaged 15.3 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 4.2 assists. With Miles in the backcourt, Williams has been among the beneficiaries of focusing on scoring.
Collier has enjoyed watching Minnesota's success, particularly praising how McBride has stepped up.
"[McBride] has really put this team on her back," Collier said. "Her aggressiveness, her shot-making, her playmaking, everything she's doing offensively has been incredible. She's making threes, attacking the basket, doing it all."
To Collier, the All-Star case is automatic.
"Absolutely. Without a doubt," Collier said. "Mack is having, as Cheryl said, a career year. We're the No. 1 team, and she's a huge reason why we're here."
The admiration runs both directions.
"Honestly, I felt like I could take a deep breath the first day she returned to practice," McBride said. "People don't see everything that goes on behind the scenes. I've watched her spend time on the AirDyne bike, work with Chuck, do pool workouts, and put in all the rehab. We see that every day. She's someone I've been in the trenches with, so I'm just happy to see her back doing what she loves."
One line summed up her whole night, describing a sense of wholeness with Collier on the floor on both ends.
"Everything just falls into place when she's out there, so we're definitely happy to have her back," McBride said of Collier.
Looking Ahead
Collier observed from the sideline, gaining new appreciation for Minnesota's roster turnover during her absence.
"I've just been so proud of them," Collier said. "We had so many new people this year. At the beginning of the season, we only had two returning players on the floor, and that's not easy."
She credited the team for quickly blending many new pieces.
"I watched the chemistry develop, the buy-in from everyone, and the process of integrating so many new players," Collier said. "Then you add in having arguably the best rookie in the league and an MVP candidate, and there were a lot of moving pieces. For us to be sitting in first place is incredible."
She closed with the sentiment Minnesota carried all year.
"Minnesota always seems to get counted out, but you can never count us out," she said. "The biggest word I'd use is just proud."
The league's most efficient team appears closer to full strength with Collier, McBride, Miles, and Howard all back. Reeve, however, wasn't ready to declare it finished.
"This is an evolution," she said. "We're nowhere near the end of the process. She has to catch up conditioning-wise because everyone else is in midseason form. There are going to be ups and downs. That's just part of it. But I'm really happy for her that she started with such an impressive debut."
The coach wanted the win to mean more than Collier's stats.
"To come into Seattle, play the second game of a road set against the same opponent, not get the usual production from our guards, and still find a way to win, that's important," Reeve said. "[Collier's] return was obviously pivotal in helping us get this victory."
The Lynx enter the All-Star break on a seven-game win streak with the league's best record. Afterward, they host the expansion Toronto Tempo.
