Mercury top Lynx in Game 3, Collier injury sparks Reeve teardown of refs

Satou Sabally dropped 23 points as the Phoenix Mercury edged the Minnesota Lynx late to win Game 3 on Friday, 84-76.

Alyssa Thomas added 21 and secured the win for Phoenix with a steal against Lynx star Napheesa Collier, who left the game after the play with an apparent ankle injury.

Phoenix, now up 2-1 in the semifinal series, can advance to its first WNBA Finals since 2021 with a win at home Sunday.

Collier appeared to grab at her ankle after colliding with Thomas with 24 seconds left in an attempt to drive by the Mercury star. The MVP runner-up was then helped to the locker room and didn't return for the game's final seconds.

The Lynx also lost head coach Cheryl Reeve following the play. Incensed by the absence of a foul call on Thomas, the 59-year-old picked up her second technical foul for approaching an official in frustration, leading to her ejection.

Reeve tore into the referees postgame, calling it "f-----g malpractice" that the WNBA's officiating leadership even considered the Game 3 crew for a semifinal playoff encounter. The Lynx coach also said that Collier "probably has a fracture" but didn't specify further. She walked out of her press conference after blasting the referees.

Collier finished with 17 points, six rebounds, three assists, and three blocks in the loss. Natisha Hiedeman, who was held scoreless in Game 2, led Minnesota with 19 points off the bench.