Lynx’s Napheesa Collier reveals what they must fix to win Game 5 over Sun
As the Minnesota Lynx and the Connecticut Sun squared off on Sunday, Lynx forward Napheesa Collier described her urgency heading into a do-or-die Game 5.“We have to get back to what got us in this position in the first place, which is our defense,” Collier said via Katie Barnes of ESPN. “We’re not happy with how we came out the past two games. We have to go home and defend our home court. We’re both playing for our lives, so we have to play with that level of intensity.”
Collier illustrates the focal point of defense quite well. After all, she took home the 2024 WNBA Defensive Player of the Year trophy after beating out Las Vegas Aces superstar A’ja Wilson. Not to mention, the Lynx have the second-best defensive rating in the playoffs only behind the Sun.
Regardless of the statistics, the past two games haven’t looked like the typical Lynx squad. They split the two games on the road but gave up 81, and 92 points respectively. The latter of which, Minnesota took the loss. In the Game 4 loss, the Sun shot 54% from the field and 53% from three. Despite Connecticut not being a three-point shooting team, allowing over 50% from the field in both areas is concerning.
Can the Napheesa Collier help the Lynx get back to their principles vs the Sun?
© Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images
Even though Collier is an A-list defender, she also has a huge offensive responsibility. She’s averaging 27.2 points, 9.3 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.7 blocks, and 1.2 steals. Collier’s scoring increase has come at the expense of her defense since she has to exert more energy on that side of the ball.
Regardless, she is the defensive anchor of the team. Collier will signal matchups, switches, how to navigate screens, and much more. She’s extremely versatile on that side but is playing another excellent defensive team in Connecticut. They have two of the most physical players in Alyssa Thomas and Brionna Jones.
Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve is an expert in exploiting matchups. With a variety of shooters and scorers, Reeve could use Collier as a decoy for some offensive plays. This would allow the Minnesota star to spend more time dictating the defense. Her instincts were evident in the first two games, despite the Lynx splitting the first two games with the Sun.
Game 5 will be decided between the two squads on Tuesday. The winner will take on the New York Liberty in the WNBA Finals after they convincingly won against the Aces on Sunday.
The post Lynx’s Napheesa Collier reveals what they must fix to win Game 5 over Sun appeared first on ClutchPoints.
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