MVP frontrunner Napheesa Collier leaves during Lynx's 53-point blowout win over Aces
Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve said it was too soon to assess the severity of her star player's injury.
'She was in the locker room with us, but as protocol, tomorrow or whatever chance we get, we'll continue to evaluate and examine images, all that good stuff,' Reeve said.
Trailing the play in which Natisha Hiedeman drove the lane for a lay-up, Collier appeared to step on teammate Alanna Smith's left foot and immediately went down near Las Vegas' bench with the Lynx holding a 92-49 lead late in the third quarter.
She attempted to stand, but sat back down on the court, writhing in pain, and was immediately surrounded by Aces starters A'ja Wilson, Chelsea Gray, Jackie Young, NaLyssa Smith and Kierstan Bell, who all held towels to shield her from exposure.
Collier's teammates, coaches and trainers eventually made their way to the opposite end of the court to tend to the 2025 All-Star MVP.
The seventh-year pro left the court on her own and went straight to the locker room, moving slowly and walking gingerly while favoring her right ankle with a Lynx staffer under her arm. Collier did not return.
The league-leading Lynx (24-5) are off until Tuesday, when they'll finish their two-game trip in Seattle. The 53-point victory in Las Vegas was the largest road win in WNBA history.
Reeve wouldn't speculate if Collier would get an MRI in Las Vegas, travel with the team to Seattle, or return home to Minnesota.
'It's just way too early,' Reeve said. 'At this point in time, I don't know exactly what's happening.'
___
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
San Francisco Chronicle
37 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Aaron Judge is back in the lineup at DH as the Yankees wait for clarity on his throwing arm
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Aaron Judge is back in the lineup as the designated hitter for the New York Yankees following a 10-day stint on the injured list with a flexor tendon strain in his right elbow. There's still no clarity on when the All-Star slugger will return to the outfield. Judge is batting third in the middle game of a three-game series against the Texas Rangers on Tuesday night. Manager Aaron Boone said Judge is supposed to start a throwing program Wednesday. Boone all but ruled out Judge returning to the outfield as early as the next couple of days. 'I don't want to get ahead of myself,' Boone said. 'See how that first day goes. From there, we'll probably have a better idea after a day or two of that.' Judge didn't speak to reporters in the clubhouse before the game, but Boone said the leading hitter in the majors came away from a trip to the team's spring training facility in Tampa, Florida, ready to swing the bat — and test the capabilities of his arm. 'I think he's been pretty upbeat about it,' Boone said. 'I think down in Tampa, did a lot of things. Didn't throw, but did a lot of things in kind of preparation for that throwing. So far, so good. So hopefully when he does start that throwing program, it goes well and he can progress fairly quickly.' Judge hasn't played since July 25 because of the elbow strain. An MRI showed no acute damage to his ulnar collateral ligament and he had a platelet-rich injection July 27, when he was placed on the IL in a move retroactive to the previous day. The first time Judge said he felt pain in the elbow was July 22 at Toronto, after he made a strong throw home when George Springer singled to right. Judge entered Tuesday night's game hitting .342 and was fourth in the majors with 37 homers and fifth with 85 RBIs. New York's loss in the series opener at Texas was the club's fourth in a row, and the Yankees have fallen to third place in the AL East behind Toronto and Boston. They were in first place to start July, but started Tuesday 5 1/2 games behind the Blue Jays, currently holding a wild-card spot 2 1/2 games behind the Red Sox. 'Hopefully it's the start of something really good,' Boone said of Judge's return. Judge's return was part of a bevy of roster moves, headlined by the Yankees sending reliever Jake Bird to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre just five days after acquiring the right-hander from Colorado before the trade deadline. Bird allowed seven runs — six earned — in two innings over his first three appearances with the Yankees, capped by Josh Jung's three-run homer in the 10th inning of the Rangers' 8-5 victory in the series opener. 'I think he got quite a bit of work there in the first half, a lot of success,' Boone said. 'And he's had some struggles lately. We still think really highly of him and think he's not only going to help us this year in the short term but certainly in the long term, too. So hopefully this is something that does give him that little bit of a reset.' The Yankees put newly acquired outfielder Austin Slater on the IL with a left hamstring strain. Slater, traded by the Chicago White Sox last week, exited in the second inning Monday night after running out a fielder's choice grounder. New York also activated right-hander Mark Leiter Jr., who has been out almost a month with a stress fracture in his leg. Right-hander Yerry de los Santos was recalled from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and right-hander JT Brubaker was designated for assignment. Giancarlo Stanton, who has been the Yankees' starting DH for all of his 32 games this season, was displaced by Judge in the lineup. His 10th homer was a two-run shot in the fourth Monday that gave the Yankees a 5-4 lead over the Rangers. He missed the first 70 games of the season with inflammation in the tendons of both elbows. 'That's the tough part,' Boone said. 'G's been in such a good place now for really most of the time he's been back. Just feel like he's putting together real consistent at-bats where he's a real threat all the time. That'll be tough to navigate these first few days.' ___
New York Post
an hour ago
- New York Post
Liberty's rash of injuries comes with Jonquel Jones silver lining
We've got you covered on the Liberty beat Text with Madeline Kenney as she follows the Liberty — she's sharing behind-the-scenes info and insights with Sports+ subscribers. SIGN UP NOW One would think that losing four of the past five games and suffering defeats to two of the WNBA's lowest-ranked teams would have the injury-plagued Liberty reeling. But Jonquel Jones would rather find the silver lining in the current situation than dwell on the difficulties. Advertisement The Liberty's three frontcourt injuries — with Breanna Stewart, Nyara Sabally and Kennedy Burke all sidelined indefinitely — have put a heavier burden on Jones' shoulders over the past 10 days, despite her only returning from a monthlong injury absence after the All-Star break. But Jones believes her larger role paired with the team's grueling stretch of playing six games in those 10 days – with the final contest of this run being Tuesday night against the Wings — has expedited her reintegration process.
NBC Sports
an hour ago
- NBC Sports
Orioles to pay nearly $8.5 million as part of five deals ahead of the trade deadline
Baltimore will be sending nearly $8.5 million to four teams as part of five deals made ahead of the trade deadline. The Orioles will give San Diego $3,324,300 along with All-Star first baseman Ryan O'Hearn and outfielder Ramón Laureano, who were dealt last week for right-handers Tyson Neighbors and Tanner Smith, left-hander Boston Bateman, infielders Brandon Butterworth and Cobb Hightower and infielder/outfielder Victor Figueroa. O'Hearn was owed $2,537,634 of his $8 million salary and Laureano $1,268,817. Baltimore will pay two installments of $1,662,150 on Sept. 15 and 30, according to trade details obtained by The Associated Press. The money reduces San Diego's expense to $482,151, which comes to a prorated share of the $760,000 minimum for each. Baltimore will send Detroit $2,758,065 on Sept. 30 as part of the trade that sent right-hander Charlie Morton to the Tigers for minor league left-hander Micah Ashman. Morton was owed $4,758,064 of his $15 million salary, and the cash reduces his cost to the Tigers to $2 million. In addition, the Orioles will send the Tigers $100,000 on Aug. 15 as part of the trade to acquire left-hander Dietrich Enns. The Orioles also are sending Toronto $1.75 million on Sept. 30 as part of the July 29 trade that sent right-hander Seranthony Domínguez to the Blue Jays for minor league right-hander Juaron Watts-Brown — a deal announced between games of a doubleheader between the teams. Domínguez had $2,645,161 left from his $8 million salary at the time of the trade. Baltimore is giving Houston $520,000 along with infielder Ramón Urías, who was dealt for minor leaguer right-hander Twine Palmer. The money is due in equal payments on Sept. 15 and Oct. 15. Urías was owed $1,016,129 of his $3.15 million salary. Money in the five trades totals $8,452,365. Baltimore opened the season with a $169 million payroll, 15th among the 30 major league teams. Minnesota is paying $33 million to Houston in the July 31 trade that returned All-Star Carlos Correa to the Astros for minor league left-hander Matt Mikulski, by far the largest amount among 14 deadline trades involving cash transactions. That covered a significant portion of the $103,419,355 remaining in the contract of the three-time All-Star, who left the Astros to sign with the Twins ahead of the 2022 season. Houston gets $3 million this year and $10 million each in 2026, 2027 and 2028, with installments due each Dec. 15. Arizona will pay Milwaukee $5,258,000 as part of the July 31 trade that sent right-hander Shelby Miller and left-hander Jordan Montgomery to the Brewers for a player to be named or cash. Arizona will send the money in four installments of $1,314,500 on Aug. 15, Aug. 31, Sept. 15 and Sept. 30. Montgomery was owed $7,137,097 of his $22.5 million salary and Miller $317,204 of his $1 million salary. Milwaukee is sending San Diego $2,169,000 as part of the trade that sent left-hander Nestor Cortes and minor league infielder Jorge Quintana to the Padres for outfielder Brandon Lockridge. That offsets part of the $2,410,753 remaining from Cortes' $7.6 million salary. The Brewers will send $361,500 each on Aug. 15 and 29, Sept. 12 and 26 plus $723,000 on Oct. 10. Cincinnati is paying Pittsburgh $1,935,484 as part of the July 30 trade that sent left-hander Taylor Rogers and minor league shortstop Sammy Stafura to the Pirates for third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes. The cash covers half the $3,870,968 Rogers was owed from his $12 million salary, and the Reds paid $435,484 on Aug. 1 and owe $500,000 each on Aug. 15, Sept. 1 and Sept. 15. Rogers was dealt the following day to the Cubs for outfielder Ivan Brethowr, and Pittsburgh agreed to give the Cubs $1,903,226. That offset half the $3,806,452 then left on Rogers' salary after the $64,516 he earned during his one day with Pittsburgh, for whom he never threw a pitch. The Pirates pay $423,226 on Aug . 15 and owe $500,000 installments on Aug. 31, Sept. 15 and Sept. 30. San Francisco will give Kansas City $1,934,100 as part of the trade that sent outfielder Mike Yastzemski to the Royals for right-hander Yunior Marte. Yastzemski was owed $2,934,140 of his $9.25 million salary, and the Giants will make four payments of $483,535 on Aug. 15. Aug. 31, Sept. 15 and Sept. 30. Tampa Bay is sending Milwaukee $1.1 million in the July 28 trade that sent catcher Danny Jansen to his hometown Brewers for minor league infielder Jadher Areinamo. Jansen was owed $2,833,333 of his $8.5 million salary. The Rays will make six payments of $183,333, on Aug. 1, 15 and 29, Sept. 12 and 26, and Oct. 10. Tampa Bay agreed to send an additional $500,000 if a $12 million mutual option for 2026 is declined, which carries a $500,000 buyout. St. Louis agreed to pay Atlanta $2.28 million as part of the July 27 trade that sent right-hander Erick Fedde to the Braves for a player to be named or cash. Fedde was owed $2,455,645 from his $7.25 million salary. The Cardinals will make equal payments of $1.14 million on Aug. 11 and Sept. 22. Detroit will pay Texas $100,000 on Aug. 15 as part of the trade to acquire right-hander Codi Heuer.
