Napheesa Collier, Lynx prepare to face stingy Valkyries defense

The Minnesota Lynx are at their best when Napheesa Collier is knocking down shots.

That could be bad news for the Golden State Valkyries (9-7) as they prepare to tip off against the Lynx (15-2) on Saturday evening in Minneapolis.

Collier will try to stay hot after scoring 28 points in her most recent game to lead the Lynx to a win against the Washington Mystics. She had zero points after a bumpy first quarter but found her rhythm to score 10 in the second quarter, nine in the third and nine more in the fourth.

"I knew it was going to start dropping," Collier said when asked about her shot. "... I just kept going. We knew we were going to push through that. We just kept going."

The Lynx hope to keep going against Golden State, which has won two games in a row, four of its past five and seven of its past nine.

Kayla Thornton leads the Valkyries with 15 points and 6.9 rebounds per game. Veronica Burton is the team's top playmaker with 5.2 assists per game to go along with an average of 10.5 points.

Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase also praised her players for their intensity on defense. They allowed only 57 points in their most recent win against the Seattle Storm.

"They're really coming into their own," Nakase said. "I think we are naturally, from one to 12, we are naturally defenders. And, like I said, our killer mentality as an identity is really showing out. So again, as long as we had that effort, we recovered. ...

"We want to be a No. 1 defense, so I'm hoping this pushes us a little closer."

For now, they can claim the No. 2 spot, holding opponents 77.2 points per game. Only the Lynx (74.2) are stingier.

Golden State will have its hands full as it tries to slow down a high-powered Lynx offense. Collier leads the way with 24.6 points and 8.2 rebounds per game, and Kayla McBride ranks second with 15.4 points per game.

Courtney Williams (12.8 points per game) and Alanna Smith (10.8) round out the Lynx's top four scorers. Natisha Hiedeman is averaging 8.0 points in 17 games off the bench.

This is the second meeting of the season between the teams. Minnesota held on for an 86-75 win over Golden State in the first matchup June 1 in San Francisco.