The WNBA named Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier the Western Conference Player of the Week for games played Aug. 28 through Sept. 4. The Player of the Week award is Collier’s fourth of her career and her second this season, previously being selected on July 3. Collier’s second Player of the Week award this season marks the first time since the 2018 season that a Lynx player has won the award multiple times in a single season (Maya Moore, 3x).
The 6-1 forward led Minnesota to back-to-back victories over the Atlanta Dream and the Phoenix Mercury moving the Lynx to 2-1 during the week and 19-19 overall while clinching a spot in the 2023 WNBA Playoffs with Sunday’s victory over the Mercury. Over the three games, Collier averaged 22.0 points on 46.6% shooting, 14.3 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.7 blocks in 39.3 minutes per game. She currently ranks fourth in scoring (21.3 ppg), seventh in rebounds (8.4 rpg), seventh in steals (1.6 spg) and seventh in minutes (33.3 mpg). Collier posted point/rebound double-doubles in all three games during the week, running her season total to 10 double-double (27 career).
On Aug. 29 at Washington, Collier ended the game with 17 points on 7-of-16 shooting, a game-high 10 rebounds, four assists, a game-high four steals. It marked the second game time in Collier’s career with 15+ points/10+ rebounds/4+ steals. On Sept. 1 vs. Atlanta, she led all scorers with 27 points, including the 2000th point of her career, and set a franchise record by tallying nine of those points in overtime as the Lynx erased a seven-point deficit in the final two minutes of regulation. She added a career-high 17 rebounds and four blocks, surpassing the 900-career-rebound mark while also moving into seventh place on Minnesota’s all-time leaderboard in that category. Against Phoenix on Sept. 3, Collier totaled 22 points, 16 rebounds, five assists and three blocks. She registered her second career (all this season) 20+ point/15+ rebound/3+ block game and officially became the first player in WNBA history to have consecutive such games. The game against Phoenix also marked Collier’s eighth 20+ point/10+ rebound game of the season (15th career) and 10th double-double this season (29th career).
New York’s’ Breanna Stewart was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week.
To finish the regular season, the Lynx will head to Chicago to play on Friday, September 8 against the Sky. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. CT and the game will broadcast on ION.
(info courtesy of Lynx)