Collier returns, Lynx beat Dream 81-71, stay in playoff hunt

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Napheesa Collier made her season debut for Minnesota and the Lynx used a fourth-quarter run to beat the Atlanta Dream 81-71 to keep their playoff hopes alive. Atlanta (14-19) fell into a tie with the Phoenix Mercury for the eighth, and final, playoff spot with a week remaining in the regular season — a half-game ahead of the New York Liberty (13-19) and a game in front of Minnesota (13-20) and the Los Angeles Sparks (13-20). Collier, Minnesota’s leading scorer (16.2 per game) last season, played for the first time since she gave birth to her daughter, Mila, in late May. The 2019 WNBA Rookie of the Year finished with six points in 21 minutes. Aari McDonald and Rhyne Howard scored 16 points apiece for Atlanta.