Sims, Collier lead Lynx past Fever 81-73

MINNEAPOLIS — Odyssey Sims scored 17 points, Napheesa Collier had 15 points and 10 rebounds to move into elite company and the Minnesota Lynx defeated the Indiana Fever 81-73 on Sunday, a key win for playoff positioning.

Collier surpassed 400 points and 200 rebounds to join former Indiana star Tamika Catchings as the only rookies to surpass the 400/200 barrier plus have 60 steals. That helped the Lynx (17-15) stay a half-game in front of Seattle for the home court advantage if the two teams meet in the No. 6-No. 7 matchup in the playoffs.

Minnesota only shot 44% to 51% for Indiana, but took advantage of 19 turnovers by the Fever and had 13 offensive rebounds. Indiana only shot 35 percent and the Lynx hit all four of their 3-pointers in the fourth quarter.

Sylvia Fowles had 10 points and five rebounds for the Lynx and is four boards behind Catchings for No. 2 in WNBA history. Fowles passed Lauren Jackson for 10th on the WNBA all-time field goal list.

Candice Dupree had 18 points and Tiffany Mitchell 14 for the Fever (11-20). Rookie Teaira McCowan had 12 points and 11 rebounds, extending her double-double streak to four games and surpassing Catchings’ Indiana rookie record of 276. She now has 283, the second-best rebounding season in Indiana history and No. 7 all-time among WNBA rookies. With 20 rebounds in the last two games she would tie the Indiana record.