Napheesa Collier, Lynx look to stymie Storm in rematch

After taking down the Seattle Storm on the road this week, the Minnesota Lynx look to do the same at home on Sunday in Minneapolis.

Led by star Napheesa Collier, the Lynx can record back-to-back victories for the first time since winning three in a row from July 26-30 by beating the Storm for the second time in three days.

Collier collected 24 points and 10 rebounds and Kayla McBride scored 21 points as the Lynx (15-16) led by as many as 15 points en route to Friday night's 78-70 road win against the Storm. Minnesota currently owns the sixth playoff spot in the WNBA despite winning just two of its last five games.

Collier, meanwhile, has averaged 29.3 points and 9.3 rebounds to help Minnesota win all three of its games against Seattle this season.

"She's just a great player," Storm forward Ezi Magbegor told The Seattle Times. "She's able to score outside and inside, which makes her tough to guard."

Seattle star Jewell Loyd averages a league-leading 23.8 points but went just 1-for-8 from 3-point range and scored 15 on Friday against the Lynx. Loyd made just 3 of 24 shots from beyond the arc in the last four contests for the Storm, who reside outside of playoff position.

"It's hard to win games when our leading scorer isn't scoring efficiently," Storm coach Noelle Quinn said.

"When Jewell is knocking down shots, and is comfortable, everything opens up for us."

Sami Whitcomb scored a season-high 23 points and went 5-for-8 from 3-point range on Friday for the Storm (9-22), who will play all but two of their final nine games on the road.

Meanwhile, the Lynx are set to play five of their next seven games at home before closing the regular season with two consecutive road contests. McBride has averaged 19.3 points during Minnesota's three games with Seattle in 2023.