Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier scored 32 points and had nine rebounds Sunday night in her return after missing the past seven games due to a right ankle sprain.
She helped Minnesota beat the Indiana Fever to improve to 30-7.
Before her injury, Collier was the clear front-runner for MVP, averaging a league-high 23.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.8 steals (third in the league) and 1.6 blocks (fourth) per game. She had been out since Aug. 2.
The Lynx went 5-2 during that stretch, dropping the two games consecutively to the New York Liberty and Atlanta Dream. Minnesota holds a 6-game lead over the Dream for first in the standings and is the only team so far to have clinched a spot in the playoffs.