Man, what a gut punch. Minnesota Lynx rookie star Olivia Miles went down with an absolutely brutal ankle injury late Wednesday night in San Francisco, and her status for the rest of the season is totally up in the air. This ain’t some minor bump or bruise, folks, this is a legit question mark for a team leading the league standings and gearing up for a postseason push.
That Play Was So NASTY
You saw it, right? Miles was out there doing her thing, playing defense on Golden State Valkyries guard Veronica Burton in the lane, just past the midway point of the fourth quarter. It was an accident, pure and simple, but she stepped on Napheesa Collier’s foot, and her left ankle just ROLLED hard. Like, instantly hopping toward the baseline, clearly in agony. She went down on the baseline, teammates and training staff rushing over, and even though she made it to the bench, she was gone to the locker room minutes later and never returned. Specifics? Nah, not yet, but that didn’t look good for our No. 2 overall pick, man.
The Numbers Tell the Story, but Now What?
Miles was straight-up balling before that awful moment, putting up 20 points on 8-of-10 shooting from the field. Seven assists, five boards, she was doing it all. She’d been averaging 19.9 points and 6.1 assists a game coming into Wednesday’s contest, so we’re talking about a massive part of their offense right there. The Lynx still pulled out the 77-66 win over the Valkyries, leading almost the whole game and shooting 50% from the field. They’re 30-7 on the season, only one loss in their past 16 games, sitting pretty at the top. The Valkyries fell to 25-10, snapping a seven-game win streak, so this win was big. But losing Miles? That’s the real story.
They’ve got seven games left in the regular season, including a pair of back-to-back matchups against Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever to close things out. Playoffs are still more than a month away, but the Lynx are planning a deep run. You take a talent like Olivia Miles out of the equation for any significant time in this final stretch, and that’s a huge, huge blow. She’s the real deal, and losing her now could mess up everything they’ve worked for this season. We’re all just holding our breath waiting for an update, hoping for the best.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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