Napheesa Collier’s performance takes center stage in Game 1

MINNEAPOLIS — It’s hard to pinpoint a single aspect of Napheesa Collier’s performance in Game 1 of the 2024 WNBA Playoffs as the most impressive. One can naturally scan the box score and find her 38 points—the highest mark of her career in the regular season or playoffs and the most points scored by a Lynx in a playoff game not named Maya Moore. Perhaps her precision at the free throw line stands out, where she shot 13-of-14 on Sunday evening, matching a franchise record for FTs in a playoff game held by Seimone Augustus. 

The comprehensive nature of her performance can’t be overlooked either. To score that many points while also grabbing six rebounds, dishing out four assists and adding a blocked shot for good measure (while playing all but nine seconds of the game) makes for a playoff stat line as singular as it is spectacular.