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A WNBA analyst isn't happy with NBA officials for defending Alyssa Thomas following an incident with Napheesa Collier in Game 3 of their semifinal matchup. Thomas' steal late in the game on Friday led to Collier's right ankle injury, which wasn't called for a foul.
With the Mercury up by four with less than 30 seconds left, Collier drove to the basket, but the ball was picked by Thomas to seal the victory. During the play, Collier and Thomas' knees collided, which led to the Minnesota Lynx star's ankle getting sprained.
Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve was livid and was thrown out of the game for her troubles. Plenty of fans were upset after a foul wasn't called on Thomas, but even the NBA Referees official X account defended the non-call.
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Despite what the NBA Referees explained on X, formerly known as Twitter, Rachel DeMita was not happy because she felt Alyssa Thomas cut off Napheesa Collier's path. The argument made was about Thomas getting a clean steal before the contact between her and Collier happened.
"I'm floored by this. I'm floored that the NBA came out and publicly said this," DeMita said. "Phee had nowhere to go. I'm sorry, her leg got cut off. She had nowhere to go. You cut off her line where she was running and she was the one with the ball. If I'm fighting with the NBA referees on this and they are the standard, there's just no way."
Napheesa Collier was taken out of the game after the injury occurred and missed the last moments as the Mercury earned an 84-76 win and a 2-1 series lead.
Napheesa Collier ruled out for Game 4
The Minnesota Lynx has officially ruled out Napphesa Collier for Game 4 due to a left ankle injury. The extent of the injury is not yet official, but coach Cheryl Reeve told reporters after Game 3 that it's a possible fracture.
It will be interesting to see how the Lynx will cope in Collier's absence. They did pretty well during her recovery from a right ankle injury in August, with a winning record of 5-2.
However, the Lynx will also be without Reeve, who has been suspended by the WNBA for her scathing comments about the referees and the league. It's up to assistant coaches Rebekkah Brunson, Eric Thibault and Lindsay Whalen to keep the team focused.
