Latest news with #Collier
USA Today
6 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
WNBA MVP odds: Power ranking early-season favorites for 2025 season
WNBA MVP odds: Power ranking early-season favorites for 2025 season Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark, reigning WNBA MVP A'ja Wilson and Napheesa Collier of the Minnesota Lynx have emerged as early MVP favorites this season. Show Caption Hide Caption Diana Taurasi gives her thoughts on the upcoming CBA in the WNBA With the upcoming WNBA collective bargaining agreement in need of negotiating, Diana Taurasi gives her thoughts on what needs to be focused on. Sports Seriously Less than three weeks into the 2025 WNBA season, a clear pecking order has emerged in the MVP race. It's Napheesa Collier of the Minnesota Lynx, Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark, reigning MVP A'ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces and then everybody else, according to oddsmakers. Those three have a tremendous jump start on the rest of the contenders for the league's top individual award, and Collier remains atop the field. Her odds got even better as the Lynx extended their undefeated start to the regular season after last year's run to the WNBA Finals. Collier is leading the league in scoring through six games and she's put together three-consecutive double-doubles in her most recent appearances. Clark's MVP hopes remain stagnant after missing her first WNBA games due to injury and she's expected to be out for at least another week. Wilson, meanwhile, continues to put up big numbers and could be due for a rise now that the Ace have strung together wins in four of their past five games. Breanna Stewart of the New York Liberty and new Los Angeles Sparks star Kelsey Plum round out the top five MVP candidates at the moment, per BetMGM. Here's a breakdown of the WNBA MVP odds after more than two weeks of the 2025 season schedule: WNBA power rankings: 2025 MVP odds BetMGM odds as of Monday, June 2 Favorites Collier continues to stake claim to being the early favorite to win her first MVP award during the Lynx's undefeated start to the 2025 season. She's currently averaging a career-best 26.3 points while shooting 45% from 3-point range. Clark's candidacy has been put on pause by her ongoing quad injury. She will be out for at least one more week, according to the Fever's initial injury update. Wilson became the first player in league history to put up multiple games with at least 35 points, 10 rebounds and five assists last week when she scored 36 points, grabbed 13 rebounds and dished out six assists in the Aces' win over the Los Angeles Sparks on May 30. OPINION: New York Liberty value soars. Time for WNBA owners to invest or get out of the way Contenders
Hindustan Times
a day ago
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
Lynx stay unbeaten with second-half surge to down Valkyries
Natisha Hiedeman scored all eight of her points in two second-half runs, Napheesa Collier returned from a night off with a game-high 24 points and the Minnesota Lynx surged past the host Golden State Valkyries 86-75 on Sunday night in San Francisco. Returning from a sore knee, Collier completed her third consecutive double-double with a season-high-tying 11 rebounds, and Courtney Williams added 20 points for Minnesota, which remained unbeaten through seven games. Veronica Burton had a team-high 21 points and Kate Martin a career-high 14 for Golden State, which led by one at halftime and retained a 56-53 advantage after Kayla Thornton's interior hoop in the third minute of the third period. But the Lynx, who made the WNBA finals last season, took charge from there, starting with a 14-2 burst that featured 3-pointers from Hiedeman, Williams and Bridget Carleton. Attempting to avoid a third consecutive loss, the Valkyries hung within 68-60 through quarter's end, before Hiedeman had two hoops one that she turned into a three-point play and Collier added a basket in a 7-0 flurry to open the fourth period that broke the game open at 75-60. Williams also found time for five rebounds and a team-high five assists. Her three 3-pointers in seven attempts helped Minnesota outscore the hosts 33-27 from beyond the arc despite taking eight fewer attempts. Kayla McBride chipped in with 16 points and six rebounds, while Carleton had 12 points for the Lynx, who completed a two-game Western sweep after dispatching the Phoenix Mercury on Friday without Collier. The Lynx and Valkyries were meeting for the first time. Thornton finished with 11 points and a team-high seven rebounds for Golden State, which had played the defending-champion New York Liberty on the road in its two previous games. Julie Vanloo dished off a team-high four assists and swiped two steals for the Valkyries, an expansion team that has sold out all three of its home games at the spacious Chase Center, home of the Golden State Warriors. Field Level Media
Hindustan Times
4 days ago
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
Undefeated Lynx face major test in visit to Phoenix
The Minnesota Lynx aim to continue their unbeaten start when they visit the Phoenix Mercury Friday night. Minnesota is beginning a stretch in which four of five games are on the road with the only home game coming against these Mercury on Tuesday. Napheesa Collier, the WNBA MVP runner-up last season, is off to a superb start and leads the WNBA with a 26.8 scoring average. Collier, who won WNBA Defensive Player of the Year honors a year ago, also is contributing 7.8 rebounds, 2.4 steals and 1.4 blocks per game. While she scored a season-low 16 points on Tuesday, Collier collected 10 boards as the Lynx recorded an 82-77 home win over the Seattle Storm. Courtney Williams led the way with 23 points for her second 20-point outing of the season. Yet Minnesota was most happy about seeing sharpshooter Kayla McBride back on the floor. The four-time All-Star missed the first four games due to personal reasons but she was on target in her return, making 3 of 6 from 3-point range while scoring 15 points. "I was just grateful, being out there," said the 32-year-old McBride. "I'm fortunate for this group. From the moment I came back, it's been nothing but love and support. I'm just lucky. That's what you saw out there, I felt safe." McBride ranks ninth in WNBA history with 622 career 3-pointers. She made a career-best 105 last season. Phoenix is playing the finale of a three-game homestand after beating the Washington Mystics 68-62 on Sunday and the Chicago Sky 94-89 on Tuesday. Five-time All-Star Alyssa Thomas is fitting in well during her first season in Phoenix after 11 with the Connecticut Sun, averaging 15.2 points, 8.0 assists, 7.6 rebounds and 1.8 steals. "I think if you watched me over the years, I've always had confidence in my teammates, each and every day," Thomas said. "We're in the gym working together. I'm always about the easy shot and when they're open, I'm going to find them." Thomas had a season-high 15 assists against the Sky to move into 12th place in WNBA history with 1,503 helpers. Satou Sabally scored 20 points against Chicago to reach that mark for the third time this season. She is averaging 19.8 points per game. Phoenix rookie Kitija Laksa added a season-high 18 points against the Sky. Field Level Media
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Caitlin Clark's injury means there is a new WNBA MVP favorite
The Indiana Fever announced Monday that superstar Caitlin Clark would miss at least two weeks with a left quad strain, an injury that will sideline her for at least four games. She will be re-evaluated at that time. Clark entered the season as the betting favorite to win the 2025 WNBA MVP at BetMGM and was the odds-on favorite with -115 odds on Monday before the injury. After the injury was announced, oddsmakers moved Clark out to +250 (second-best odds) and made Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier the new MVP favorite, moving her odds from +160 to -175. After helping the Lynx to the WNBA Finals last season, Collier is leading the WNBA in scoring at 29.5 points per game and Minnesota is 4-0. Collier is a four-time All-Star and two-time All-WNBA performer. Clark is averaging 19 points, 9.3 assists and 6 rebounds in four games this season, similar numbers to her outstanding rookie season in 2024 when she won WNBA Rookie of the Year. The Fever are 2-2 so far this year. Bettors have been backing Clark to win MVP at BetMGM, as she has more than half of all the wagers (51.9%) and total dollars wagered (62.9%) to win the award. She is the sportsbook's biggest liability to win, which will be tougher after missing this upcoming stretch of games.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Caitlin Clark's injury means there is a new WNBA MVP favorite
The Indiana Fever announced Monday that superstar Caitlin Clark would miss at least two weeks with a left quad strain, an injury that will sideline her for at least four games. She will be re-evaluated at that time. Clark entered the season as the betting favorite to win the 2025 WNBA MVP at BetMGM and was the odds-on favorite with -115 odds on Monday before the injury. After the injury was announced, oddsmakers moved Clark out to +250 (second-best odds) and made Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier the new MVP favorite, moving her odds from +160 to -175. Advertisement After helping the Lynx to the WNBA Finals last season, Collier is leading the WNBA in scoring at 29.5 points per game and Minnesota is 4-0. Collier is a four-time All-Star and two-time All-WNBA performer. Clark is averaging 19 points, 9.3 assists and 6 rebounds in four games this season, similar numbers to her outstanding rookie season in 2024 when she won WNBA Rookie of the Year. The Fever are 2-2 so far this year. Bettors have been backing Clark to win MVP at BetMGM, as she has more than half of all the wagers (51.9%) and total dollars wagered (62.9%) to win the award. She is the sportsbook's biggest liability to win, which will be tougher after missing this upcoming stretch of games.
