Sports
Lynx’s Collier has 32 in return from ankle injury
Napheesa Collier resumed her MVP campaign Sunday night as she returned from an ankle sprain that had kept her out for the past three weeks. It didn’t take much time for her to get back up to speed as she scored 32 points on 11-of-16 shooting and grabbed nine rebounds in the Minnesota Lynx‘s 97-84 win over the Indiana Fever.
“I had to knock some of the rust off,” Collier said, joking that teammate Courtney Williams would have finished with 11 assists if she hadn’t missed her first few shots. “It feels like you’re on the outside when you’re not playing. I’m having so much FOMO, so it feels good to be on the court with them again.”
Williams added, “I told [Collier] before the game, I’m sick of taking 18, 20 shots. I’m ready to be back to 10 or 12. So it feels good to have Phee back.”
Collier was injured in the third quarter of the Lynx’s Aug. 2 game against the Las Vegas Aces. Imaging revealed she avoided a major injury, sources told ESPN, and the issue ultimately held her out seven games. Minnesota went 5-2 without Collier during that stretch.
The crowd erupted as Collier was introduced into the starting lineup, and her team was just as excited to have her back. Collier managed to play 31 minutes.
“She’s that darn good,” Minnesota coach Cheryl Reeve said. “Obviously, she was ready to play. Having her play makes it easier for everyone else. We can all settle back into our roles and things we like to do.”
Since Collier went down, the Lynx made three roster additions, including trading for DiJonai Carrington at the trade deadline.
Now finally healthy, Williams called this Minnesota team “a real problem” as they head toward the postseason.
The Lynx found themselves trailing the Fever by as much as 10 points in the first quarter but slowly clawed their way back in. Then, in the final two minutes of the second quarter, the Lynx put together an 11-0 run to retake the lead.
With 77 seconds to go in the first half, Collier hit a turnaround jump shot — her 13th and 14th points of the night — to give Minnesota its first lead since the first 20 seconds of the game. When the Lynx returned from halftime, they never slowed back down.
“It all stemmed from being more active defensively, that’s how we got going,” Reeve said. “We just had more flow … that second quarter, we felt that shift. We felt that shift in how we were playing, and I felt like we held that for most of the rest of the game.”
With just seven games left on their regular-season schedule, the Lynx (30-7) have the best record in the WNBA and hold a six-game advantage over the Atlanta Dream in the standings. The Lynx are the only team to have clinched a playoff spot.
The Copa Libertadores trophy won by Flamengo on Saturday was damaged during the team’s title celebrations.
Flamengo beat Palmeiras 1-0 in the final in Lima, Peru, to become the first Brazilian club to lift the prestigious cup four times.
Flamengo players and staff had a victory parade on the streets of Rio de Janeiro on Sunday afternoon, with an estimated 500,000 people joining in the celebrations.
Players and staff took turns to lift the cup during the parade and images showed that the top part of the trophy, which consists of a figurine of a footballer ready to kick a ball, was wrapped in what appeared to be masking tape.
– Flamengo lift Copa Libertadores, but Brazil’s players look exhausted
The figurine had earlier been broken.
Flamengo will be hoping to wrap up the Brazilian league title on Wednesday when they take on Ceara in front of their own fans in Rio’s Maracana stadium.
They are five points clear of Palmeiras at the top of the standings with two games remaining.
Former England cricketer Moeen Ali has announced his return to the Pakistan Super League (PSL), saying he was excited to be part of the league’s “new era”.
After the 10th edition of the PSL earlier this year, the league is set for an expansion to eight teams, with the addition of two new franchises.
Meanwhile, Moeen, who has previously featured in the marquee league when he represented former champions Multan Sultans in the 2020 and 2021 editions, expressed his eagerness to rejoin the league.
Moeen stated that the PSL, since its advent in 2016, has “earned a reputation for top-level T20 cricket”, featuring close competition and talented players.
“I’m really excited to be joining HBL PSL in its New Era. The league has earned a reputation for top-level T20 cricket, with high-quality competition and world-class talent across every team,” Moeen wrote on Instagram.
The 38-year-old, who represented England in 68 Tests, 138 ODIs and 92 T20Is during his illustrious career, was also a part of the Three Lions squad that made its historic tour of Pakistan in 2022 to play a three-match Test series. Besides that, Moeen has made several visits to the country.
Reflecting on his previous experiences in Pakistan, Moeen said that he enjoyed playing in the country and specifically praised the enthusiastic crowd, which he said pushes players to give their best on the field.
“Playing in Pakistan is always incredible; quality of cricket is outstanding and the passion and intensity from the crowd push you to bring your best,” he continued.
“I’m looking forward to being part of it all and creating some great memories along the way. Ready for another special experience Insha’Allah!”
His announcement comes just days after former South African captain Faf du Plessis pulled out of the Indian Premier League (IPL) to play in the upcoming PSL season.
In a post on Instagram on November 29, the renowned cricketer said that he would not put his name in the IPL auction this year.
“It’s a big decision, and one that comes with a lot of gratitude when I look back,” he wrote in his post.
The receiver has been plagued by injuries, but Sunday night against the Broncos, he gave Washington something to talk about other than a seventh straight loss.
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