The final games of the 2026 WNBA regular season could not have lined up much better for the fans. The No. 1 seed Minnesota Lynx, led by rookie Olivia Miles’ heroics, would face the Indiana Fever and its three-headed monster of Caitlin Clark, Kelsey Mitchell, and Aliyah Boston in back-to-back games. But during their matchup on Tuesday, Miles was scratched from the team roughly 90 minutes before tipoff. And as the Lynx announced her absence for the Thursday game as well, it caught fans’ attention, with them left wondering what the real reason is.

“Man bye, she’s just trying to prep for the playoffs 😹,” one fan wrote under an Instagram post by Just Women’s Hoops.

“Duck duck duck goose,” another added.

Olivia Miles was initially listed as “questionable” for Tuesday’s matchup. Though she participated in Minnesota’s pre-game shootaround, her status was later changed to OUT 90 minutes before the game, with a calf injury given as the reason. She has also been ruled out of the final game, but what raised eyebrows is the fact that it is unclear when she suffered this injury.

On Sunday, against the Connecticut Sun, she dropped 21 points, six assists, and two steals in Minnesota’s 101-89 win. So, doubts about the Lynx saving their superstar for the postseason make some sense. Minnesota has already clinched its playoff berth and comfortably sits at the top of the standings, largely thanks to Miles.

Her 19.8 PPG and 6.0 assists have kept Minnesota at the top of the league throughout the season. So, her absence could be a strategic move to prioritize a deep postseason run over the regular season. But head coach Cheryl Reeve has already made it clear that this has been an ongoing issue.

“Kind of the same way it was, really, since Sunday. It’s been something that sort of popped up, and (I) almost didn’t play her against Connecticut,” said Reeve. “And probably shouldn’t have. We really were leaning that way.”

Olivia Miles did miss two other games back in July due to a right calf strain. So, with that in mind, the Lynx probably don’t want the issue to worsen and risk losing their star player during the playoffs if her calf is bothering her again. Yet, some fans think the Indiana Fever might be behind this decision.

“The league want Indiana to win the 4th seed so bad,” a fan wrote.

“This some wnba politics smdh, we know who this will benefit 😡,” added another.

Now, there is a seeming reason why some fans are pointing toward Indiana. The Fever entered the final stretch of the regular season with plenty still to play for. They are currently sitting at No. 5 in the standings after their 96-77 win over Minnesota. So with another game against the Lynx on Thursday, the Fever have a chance to make a late push for the No. 4 seed and secure home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

Without Olivia Miles playing for the Lynx, Indiana had already shown what it could do. They gave Minnesota almost no room to breathe, jumping out to a 31-16 first-quarter lead and eventually cruising to a 19-point win as Clark, Mitchell, and Boston once again led the way.

Another win would give Indiana another opportunity to strengthen its position. So, from the fans’ perspective, seeing Miles ruled out for both games against the Fever naturally adds another layer to the conversation. But this is merely speculation, and not every fan is buying into the idea that there is something more behind Miles’ absence.

One fan summed up that side of the conversation perfectly and wrote, “The ones complaining, how about you go play 30+ mins with a calf injury and lmk the outcome.”

With the playoffs now just around the corner, Minnesota has little reason to take unnecessary risks with its star rookie. If Olivia Miles is still dealing with the calf issue that nearly kept her out against Connecticut, sitting her out of two regular-season games is the smarter decision.