The Minnesota Lynx kept first place in the WNBA standings even after losing Napheesa Collier and several other rotation players, a stretch that has turned a battered roster into the league’s clearest early test of depth. Minnesota entered Sunday's games on top despite missing Collier, Bridget Carleton, Jess Shepard, Alanna Smith and Natisha Hiedeman.
That is why WNBA games today are drawing attention to Minnesota as much as any matchup on the slate. The Lynx offense ranked eighth in the league entering Sunday, yet they still held the No. 1 spot because the defense has been dominant enough to cover for the absences. Opponents were scoring only 96.8 points per 100 possessions against Minnesota, shooting 38.4 percent from the field and 27 percent on 3-pointers. The numbers explain why the Lynx can keep winning without a full lineup: they are not trying to outrun teams so much as squeeze them until possessions disappear.
Cheryl Reeve has built elite defenses for more than a decade, and this version looks familiar in the way it controls space, pace and shot quality. The twist is that the rest of the league is not standing still. Expansion teams have pushed into the conversation early in 2025, with the Toronto Tempo second in offensive rating and the Portland Fire off to a 6-4 start, while Golden State became the first expansion team to qualify for the playoffs this year. Portland’s latest blowout win over Indiana even drew comparisons to Golden State’s nationally televised rout of Las Vegas in the Valkyries’ eighth game last season.
Kayla McBride, 29, and teammate Courtney Williams were pictured jumping in celebration during the second half against the Chicago Sky, a snapshot of how Minnesota’s season has felt: energetic, improvised and a little improbable. The hard part is still ahead. The Lynx have shown they can survive a short run without key pieces; the unanswered question is whether they can keep the top spot if the injuries linger and the offense stays stuck in the middle of the pack.
