Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier is expected to be sidelined 7 to 10 days after spraining her right ankle earlier this week, the team announced Friday.
Collier suffered the injury in the final minutes of Wednesday's win over the Washington Mystics and did not return after exiting the game.
"I think like any coach would say it's just not any one player that's going to be able to do what Phee does for us, so you just ask by committee," Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve said. "We've identified a few players in terms of when the coaching staff thinks about it. How do we make up for some points? How do we make up for some of the deflections and activity on the glass? Obviously, it's a tall order because Phee's having an MVP season."
In her first full season after missing most of 2022 after giving birth to her daughter, Collier has catapulted herself into a top player in the WNBA, averaging 21.8 points (fourth-best in the league) and 7.9 rebounds per game while compiling six double-doubles. Her standout play has helped the Lynx position themselves for the playoffs -- entering Friday's games they were seventh in the standings at 11-13 -- and earned her a third All-Star bid.
The next week and a half will not be an ideal stretch for the Lynx without Collier. They will face the second-place New York Liberty twice as well as the third-place Connecticut Sun back-to-back, with three of those four games on the road.
Minnesota, which is hoping to avoid consecutive seasons missing the postseason for the first time since 2009 and 2010, has other players sidelined due to injury or illness. Guard Rachel Banham remains out with a thumb injury, while forward Natalie Achonwa has yet to make her season debut while on maternity leave.