Minnesota

Lynx

Having struggled and only played 12 minutes in Friday’s Game 3 defeat, Smith was better on Sunday despite the result. The complete stat line was a fitting conclusion to the Lynx forward’s season, as she was productive across the board on most nights and shared Defensive Player of the Year honors with Las Vegas’ A’ja Wilson. Minnesota’s top eight players in minutes played this season will be unrestricted free agents this offseason, including Smith. One would think that the Lynx will do all they can to keep the core intact, hoping to take another shot at winning the franchise’s fourth WNBA title and first since 2017.

Shepard moved into the starting lineup for Game 4, filling the massive void left by the injured Napheesa Collier (ankle). As in the regular season when she was allowed to start, Shepard was effective on both ends of the floor Sunday night. Unfortunately for the Lynx, the lack of depth caught up to them, as Phoenix pulled even at the half and made another comeback in the fourth quarter to end the series. Shepard will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason, and her play when Collier was out likely improved her standing among decision-makers across the WNBA.

The Lynx backcourt tandem of Williams and Kayla McBride did what they could on Sunday, combining to score 51 points. However, the absence of Napheesa Collier (ankle) and Phoenix’s superior depth was too much to overcome, ending Minnesota’s season far earlier than expected. Minnesota’s top eight players in minutes per game, including Williams, will be unrestricted free agents, and there’s also an expansion draft (Portland and Toronto) to account for. Remaining in Minnesota would preserve Williams’ fantasy value, but the Lynx roster may look far different in 2026.

Napheesa Collier (ankle) was unavailable, so the Lynx needed their remaining starters to step up offensively. McBride unquestionably answered the call, going off for a game-high 31 points while shooting 6-of-11 from beyond the arc. Even in defeat, this was an excellent bounce-back effort for the guard, who scored 12 points on 3-of-10 shooting in Game 3. What the Lynx roster will look like in 2026 remains to be seen, as McBride is one of many key contributors who will be unrestricted free agents. Add in an expansion draft for Portland and Toronto, and the team that finished with the WNBA’s best regular-season record in 2025 may look far different next spring.

The Lynx will play Game 4, which they need to win to keep their season alive, without Napheesa Collier after she injured her left ankle late in Friday’s Game 3 defeat. As was the case when Collier missed time during the regular season, Shepard will move into the starting lineup. In addition to Shepard’s role change, Maria Kliundikova should have more minutes available off the bench.

With its season on the line, Minnesota will play Sunday’s game without its head coach and best player. Collier injured her left ankle during the final minute of Friday’s loss to Phoenix, with head coach Cheryl Reeve being ejected in the immediate aftermath for arguing that her player was fouled. Reeve’s conduct in leaving the court and during her postgame press conference earned the coach a one-game suspension. As for Collier’s replacement, Jessica Shepard was the choice during the regular season, but Maria Kliundikova’s playing time has increased in this series.

Reeve was ejected during the final minute of Friday’s loss to Phoenix after coming onto the court to argue that a foul should have been called on Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas. While Reeve picking up her second technical foul of the night triggered the ejection, not leaving the court promptly and comments made during her postgame press conference prompted the suspension for Game 4. Minnesota, which trails the series two games to one, could potentially be without Napheesa Collier as well, as she suffered an ankle injury during the play that led to Reeve’s ejection.

After a productive first couple of games in this semifinal series, Williams once again had a positive impact in several ways on Friday. Despite shooting inefficiently, the veteran guard was one of the Lynx’s top scorers in Game 3 — she shot inefficiently from inside the arc but made 40.0 percent of her attempts from deep. Williams also rebounded well and made some contributions as a facilitator. While Friday’s final stat line didn’t compare to the prior two games, Williams was impactful and will likely need to be even better in Game 4 on Sunday if the Lynx want to force a fifth game.

In the same way that Hiedeman finished the regular season, she dazzled as a scorer on Friday in Game 3 of the second round matchup with the Mercury. The veteran guard was particularly productive in the second and third quarters, where she combined to score 15 of her points on the night. Hiedeman’s scoring total set a new personal best for this 2025 postseason, which came on the heels of a zero-point outing in Minnesota’s Game 2 loss. The Lynx would benefit from a repeat performance on Sunday from Hiedeman in their attempt to keep their season alive, especially given Napheesa Collier’s injury sustained at the end of Game 3.

Collier’s productive night ended early on Friday after suffering an ankle injury with under 30 seconds to play. Down 76-80, the Lynx tried to execute a side-out-of-bounds play, but as the Mercury’s Alyssa Thomas poked the ball away from Collier, the MVP runner-up rolled her ankle before being helped to the locker room at the next deadball. She did not return for the remaining 21.8 seconds, and now her status for Sunday’s Game 4 will be one to monitor. She exited Friday’s loss as Minnesota’s second-leading scorer.