Oct 16, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier (24) reacts to her basket against the New York Liberty during the first half of game three of the 2024 NBA Finals at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

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Napheesa Collier sets postseason record in Lynx’s narrow defeat in thrilling WNBA Finals Game 3

Collier finished the game with 22 points, 9 rebounds, and two assists.

Minnesota Lynx’s Napheesa Collier experienced a bittersweet night on Wednesday, setting a new record despite the team’s narrow defeat to the New York Liberty at Target Center. Despite the disappointing result, the star forward shone with 22 points and surpassed Phoenix Mercury star Diana Taurasi for most points in a single postseason in WNBA history.

Collier entered Game 3 after having already tallied 227 points. She buried 22 points and finished Game 3 on 249, surpassing Taurasi’s record of 245, which the latter achieved back in 2009.

While Diana Taurasi achieved her record in 11 outings, Collier did it in just 10 games.

Napheesa Collier is on another level!

With 20 PTS tonight, she’s racked up a total of 247 points in this year’s Playoffs… the most for any player in a single Playoff run 👏 #WNBAFinals presented by @YouTubeTV pic.twitter.com/3kp8OgfCHw
— WNBA (@WNBA) October 17, 2024

Also Read: WNBA Expansion Breakdown: What new WNBA teams are coming in 2025?

Sabrina Ionescu’s triple spoils Napheesa Collier’s record-breaking night

Collier’s scoring masterclass was not enough for Lynx as the hosts suffered a heart-breaking defeat against the Liberty in Game 3. With the score tied at 77 in the fourth quarter with under 3 seconds to go, Sabrina Ionescu sank an incredible three-pointer from behind the arc to give Liberty a 2-1 lead in the best-of-5 series.

Napheesa Collier named First Team All-WNBA

Napheesa Collier, who is having a stunning WNBA season, was honored as a First Team All-WNBA selection for the second consecutive year on Wednesday. She became only the fourth player in Lynx franchise history to earn All-WNBA honors at least twice, joining Maya Moore, Lindsay Whalen, and Katie Smith.

This season, she averaged an impressive 20.4 points, 9.7 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.9 steals, and 1.4 blocks per game across 34 starts.

Earlier, the four-time All-Star, Collier also received the prestigious title of WNBA Defensive Player of the Year.

Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

Minnesota Lynx

Napheesa Collier

New York Liberty

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I work as a content strategist, specializing in creating engaging content about the NBA, WNBA, and MLB. My main focus is on writing breaking news updates, research-based articles, and covering trending topics. Right now, I’m leading the content team for the NBA, WNBA, and MLB categories at Playoffs English.