Napheesa Collier scores 38 as Lynx hold off Taurasi, Mercury - ESPN

MINNEAPOLIS — Diana Taurasi's potential retirement has been a theme throughout the 2024 WNBA season.

And with her Phoenix Mercury suffering a 102-95 loss in Game 1 of their first-round matchup against the Minnesota Lynx on Sunday at Target Center, the possibility could become the headline entering Game 2 on Wednesday.

If anyone understands Taurasi's impact, it's Napheesa Collier, who — like Taurasi — won a national title during a stellar career at UConn. The respect between the two is clear, but this is basketball, and Collier only sees Taurasi and the Mercury as an obstacle standing in her team's path to a championship.

«It seems like it's her retirement tour,» Collier said. «I don't know. She's been pretty quiet about it. She's, obviously, a UConn great, a league GOAT, so I feel lucky to have been able to play with her on Team USA and against her. Hopefully, we can end her career on Wednesday.»

Perhaps this is the end for Taurasi, but it feels like it's only the beginning for Collier, who put together a spectacular stat line that included a career-high 38 points in a tenacious victory over the Mercury, whom the Lynx have defeated in five of their last six meetings in the playoffs.

On the same day Collier finished second to A'ja Wilson in the WNBA's MVP race — barring a lone third-place vote, Collier would have finished second unanimously — she made the case that the Las Vegas Aces star may be the only player on the planet who can stop her from doing whatever she wants on the floor.

There were pump-fakes and smooth layups. There were clutch 3-pointers and finishes around the rim. She made key defensive stops, too. The Mercury seemed to draw straws at times to see who would get the assignment to guard her. But nothing