Minnesota Lynx, with Napheesa Collier back and percolating, defeat Atlanta Dream in overtime

Friday night in Atlanta felt less like a basketball game and more like heavyweight fighters trading blows.

The Lynx and Atlanta Dream played through nine lead changes. Five ties. And yet, each time the Lynx seemed woozy and on their heels, Napheesa Collier was there.

Collier, the WNBA’s leading scorer, had missed the previous two games because of a sore lower back and waited to return until she felt fully ready to play without restrictions, she said. On Friday, Collier certainly seemed that way. She propelled the Lynx to a 96-92 overtime victory with 26 points, seven rebounds, six assists and two blocked shots.

The Lynx improved to 13-2; one of those losses came Tuesday, in Collier’s absence.

“I was coming back to feel good enough to play an entire game, plus overtime,” Collier said, laughing. “Like, I don’t want to come in with a minute restriction. I want to come in ready to go.”

It wasn’t Collier’s versatility or volume that was most impressive Friday — it was her timing.

Collier, after an 11-point first quarter, shot 1-for-10 and 0-for-4 from three-point range until just over a minute remained in regulation.

With 1:02 left, she powered into the paint to cut the deficit to two. Then, with 21 seconds remaining, she drew a foul and calmly sank both free throws to force OT.

In extra time, Collier kicked off an 8-0 Lynx run by assisting on a Courtney Williams pull-up jumper. Williams, who finished with 16 points, eight assists and no turnovers after making 10 turnovers Tuesday, then returned the favor, assisting Collier on a running layup.

With the score tied 90-90 and just over a minute remaining, the Lynx went to Collier again. Her 10-foot turnaround, fadeaway jumper put the Lynx ahead by two.

BOXSCORE: Lynx 96, Atlanta 92 (OT)

WNBA standings

From there, Kayla McBride knocked down four consecutive free throws — she went 6-for-6 in overtime — to put the game away.

“Mac and Phee are our closers,” Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve said. “So once we got that space, you could see a level of confidence that we knew exactly what they’re doing [and] what’s gonna happen next.”

Reeve congratulated McBride, who scored 18 points, for crossing the 5,000-point milestone in the victory. McBride is the 29th player in WNBA history to reach that threshold.

Bridget Carleton had a productive night as well — she was 5-for-5 from the field with four three-pointers, scoring 14 points.

While Collier and McBride’s clutch performances were crucial, especially in overtime, the Lynx’s defensive adjustments were equally critical.

The Dream (10-6) dominated the paint to the tune of 52 points Friday. This isn’t new for the Lynx, who faced similar issues in their loss Tuesday to the Seattle Storm.

On Friday, the Lynx gave up only one layup in overtime.

“Really, the thing that has stayed the same is this level of resilience of the first five,” Reeve said. “They have a really good connection and, as a team, we have a way about us. There’s just a ton of respect for each other.”