Napheesa Collier scores 38 as Lynx hold off Taurasi, Mercury

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 sees Taurasi and the Mercury only 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…