Alyssa Thomas lowered her right shoulder and then banged into the Lynx captain, Napheesa Collier, to back her down closer to the hoop. But one attempt wasn’t enough to go where AT wanted to. So she did it again, but Collier grabbed AT’s arms to prevent her from getting a shot up, and that was how the two went chest to chest in Game 2. So, when Collier entered Game 3, the collisions were quite expected, but not to this extent.

With Phoenix in the lead in the fourth quarter, the ball was on Minnesota’s side. But as Collier attempted to move the ball around, AT, looking forward for a moment, stole it. She cleanly swiped the ball and, in the process, came into contact with Collier’s knee. As clearly visible in the clip, Collier’s ankle then twisted, but AT unknowingly continued the play.

Collier collapsed, holding her ankle, and was unable to continue. The officials didn’t call a foul on the play, which enraged Reeve and earned her a second technical foul, resulting in an immediate ejection.

As soon as Collier went down, Reeve charged at the refs and had to be restrained by her staff and Natisha Hiedeman before eventually heading down the tunnel toward the locker room. But doing so wasn’t easy either, as the X-Factor fans cheered at PHX Arena during the whole incident. Then, Lynx associate HC Eric Thibault was also called for a tech.

This, however, wasn’t really enough to hold Reeve back. As Collier didn’t return to the game after her ankle injury, Reeve ensured to shed light on what went wrong. She shared, “One of the best players in the league shot zero free throws. Zero… And she had five fouls. Zero free throws. She got her shoulder pulled out and finished the game with her leg being taken out. And probably has a fracture.” in the postgame press conference, after which she promptly left.

Replays showed that AT wasn’t at fault as Collier’s ankle gave way, causing her to collapse, but anyone watching could understand Reeve’s anguish. Seeing her star go down again must have been gut-wrenching. Collier, clearly in pain and emotional, was helped off the court by a trainer, similar to an August 2 incident against the Las Vegas Aces. That earlier injury had cost her the MVP this season, and now the fear was that history might repeat itself, this time with the championship on the line.

Moments later, the scoreboard added to the misery. The No. 4 seed Mercury pulled out an 84-76 win, seizing a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five series and edging closer to the WNBA Finals in the first season without Diana Taurasi.

According to Dana Scott, the Lynx superstar was spotted using a wheeled scooter after the game. So, yes, it’s a worrying sign that she could miss Game 4 and possibly more. For the Lynx, the timing couldn’t be worse. With DiJonai Carrington already ruled out for the season, losing Collier as the No. 1 seed teeters on the edge of elimination would be devastating. All eyes are on the next medical update—because Minnesota’s hopes may very well hang on it.

What’s next for the Minnesota Lynx

The top-seeded Minnesota Lynx now find themselves teetering on the edge of elimination, heading into Game 4 on the road in Phoenix this Sunday afternoon. With Napheesa Collier’s availability in doubt, the Lynx could be facing a do-or-die matchup without one of their star players.

Before leaving Friday’s contest, Collier had put up 17 points, her lowest output since the September 4 loss to the Las Vegas Aces. Stepping up from the bench, Natisha Hiedeman led Minnesota with 19 points, while Courtney Williams contributed 14 and Kayla McBride added 12.

Game 4 tips off Sunday at 8 p.m. EST / 5 p.m. PST at PHX Arena. The Mercury are favored by 1.5 points, a shift from Minnesota’s initial -2.5 line following Collier’s exit and the Lynx’s 2-1 series deficit.