Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier is ruled out of Saturday's game against the LA Sparks. The reigning WNBA Defensive Player of the Year, who has played all games, was initially listed as questionable. Collier exited Tuesday's 76-62 win over the Las Vegas Aces with a back injury after 19 minutes of action. She had seven points and six rebounds in that span. Collier has dealt with lingering back issues for "many years," as per Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve. She has a bulging disk, which hasn't gotten worse or better. With Kelsey Plum returning for the Sparks, LA will fancy its chances in Collier's absence. In their last meeting on June 13, Collier was firing on all cylinders, tallying 32 points, eight rebounds, six assists, two steals and two blocks, missing only three of her 16 shots.The Lynx won that game 101-78, cruising to a 10-1 record. The onus will be on Courtney Williams and Kayla McBride to deliver for the Lynx with Collier missing her first game of the season.@Underdog WNBA @Underdog WNBALINKNapheesa Collier (back) ruled out Saturday.Napheesa Collier Stats vs. LA SparksNapheesa Collier has played 16 games against the LA Sparks, averaging 20.7 points, 7.9 rebounds and 3.2 assists, shooting 56.0%. She holds a 12-4 record against the historic Western Conference franchise, including 2-0 this season. Collier has averaged 27.5 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 3.5 apg, 2.0 spg and 1.5 spg in those games, shooting 67.6% and 71.4% from 3.After MVP consideration, Napheesa Collier among All-Star voting leadersNapheesa Collier is having a phenomenal season, and she's miles ahead of anybody else in the WNBA MVP race. She's second in All-Star voting behind Caitlin Clark with 484,758 votes and the leader among frontcourt players.Collier has averaged a league-leading 24.4 ppg in 11 outings, shooting 52.4%, including 42.1% from 3. All three categories are career-highs for the All-Star candidate.