The WNBA named Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier as the Western Conference Player of the Week for games played Thursday, August 15 through Sunday, August 25. This marks Collier’s second Player of the Week selection of the season and the sixth of her career, now tying Sylvia Fowles for the third-most by any Lynx player.
Collier finished the week averaging 25.6 points on 66.2% shooting, 9.2 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.6 steals in 33.2 minutes per game. She led Minnesota to a 5-0 finish during the stretch, including two back-to-back sweeps over the Washington Mystics and Las Vegas Aces, helping guide the team to double-digit wins in all five contests.
In Minnesota’s 79-68 win over the Mystics on Aug. 15, Collier posted game-highs 17 points and 12 rebounds, surpassing the 2,500-point milestone for her career. During the Lynx’s 99-83 win over Washington, she had her most prolific scoring quarter of the season, notching 15 of her game-high 30 points in the third period.
In Minnesota’s 98-87 win against Las Vegas on Aug. 21, Collier posted 23 points, seven rebounds, four assists, one block and one steal over Vegas, her 11th 20+ point/5+ rebound game of the season. On Aug. 23, the Lynx picked up the home win against the Aces as she tallied 27 points, a career-high 18 rebounds and five assists, joining Moore as the only players in team history with 25+ points/15+ rebounds/5+ assists in a game. Collier became only the third player in WNBA history to single-handedly outrebound the opposing team after the Aces finished with a total of 17 team boards.
Collier led the Lynx to clinch a spot in the 2024 WNBA Playoffs in the 90-80 victory over Indiana on Aug. 24, ending the evening with a season-high-tying 31 points. This marked her fourth 30+ effort of the season (ninth career).
Across the last four games, Collier has amassed 111 points (27.8 ppg) on 70.3% shooting (45-64), becoming the first player in WNBA history to score 110+ points on 70%-or-better shooting over a four-game stretch. She currently ranks second in the WNBA in steals (2.1 spg), third in rebounds (10.0 rpg) and fourth in scoring (21.1 ppg).
The Lynx will begin a two-game road series on Wednesday against the Phoenix Mercury. Tip is slated for 9:00 p.m.
(info courtesy of Lynx)
