The Minnesota Lynx picked up a 101-88 win over the Phoenix Mercury to advance to the WNBA semifinals against the Connecticut Sun, and Napheesa Collier turned in a monster performance, scoring 42 points. She spoke on her performance in the win, emphasizing that she was just trying to do what was best for the team.

“It's not like I sit back and think about, ‘OK, I need to score this many points to break a record,'” Napheesa Collier said, via Myron Medcalf of ESPN. “I'm just playing for my team. I'm trying to win a game. I'm trying to take advantage of what the defense is giving me. It's not even like I'm going out there with a goal in my head. I'm just trying to win the game.”

Collier, who finished second in MVP voting to A'ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces, scored her 42 points on an efficient 14-20 shooting night. She also had five rebounds and four assists in the game. Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve was surprised to see the numbers Collier put up in the first half.

“I did have a moment in the first half when I looked up and I saw that up on the in-arena scoreboard she had 22 [points] in the first half,” Cheryl Reeve said, via  Medcalf. “And I thought, ‘Wow, that's pretty good.' I didn't realize she had done that well.”

Napheesa Collier, Lynx try to move

Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier (24) brings the ball up the court against the New York Liberty in the second quarter of the Commissioner’s Cup Championship game at UBS Arena.
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It was the second straight standout performance from Collier in the series against the Mercury. In Game 1, she scored 38 points in a 102-95 win. It was an outstanding performance in the two games by an MVP-caliber player. Collier will have to continue to perform at a high level in the semifinals against the Connecticut Sun.

It will be an interesting series, and Game 1 will take place in Minnesota on Sunday. The Lynx have the home advantage in the best-of-five series, but the Sun won the season series in the regular season 2-1.

At this point, any of the four teams left in the WNBA Playoffs could come out as champions and it would not be surprising. The Lynx and Sun series could go either way. The winner will play either the New York Liberty or the two-time defending champion Las Vegas Aces, another series that could go either way.

If Collier is able to sustain this level of performance in this series, the Lynx have to like their chances of coming out on top.