What happened to Alanna Smith? Minnesota Lynx star suffers serious injury in Game 3 of the WNBA Finals

Alanna Smith was truly a spectacle throughout the regular season. Her contribution to the No. 2 seed Minnesota Lynx was evident with her career-best points average of 10.1. She maintained the same pace in the postseason. In the last two games against the New York Liberty, she contributed just 23 points to the team's total. However, Lynx appears to have suffered a minor blow with their injury in Game 3.

With the Lynx tied at 1-1 following their Game 2 loss to the Liberty, many hopes were placed on Smith for tonight's showdown. But it appears those were destroyed when the Lynx's 'X-factor' left the pitch with ice packs on her lower back. Shortly thereafter, Lynx PR announced on X: “Alanna Smith (back) is WONDERING about returning to the game tonight.”

It all happened after she committed her third foul in today's game against Jonquel Jones. She appeared to fall after being knocked to the ground by Jones and left with two points, five rebounds and four assists in 16 minutes of play. So far she has been seen struggling to move up and down the pitch, although she is determined to give it a go in the second half.

Smith was a standout player for the Lynx all season and one of their best interior defenders. In fact, she was named to the All-Defensive Second Team. But their skills were limited in Game 3. Even on offense, she was 0 of 3 from the field and 2 of 2 from the free throw line. Her absence clearly affected the team as they ended up suffering a 77-80 loss to the Liberty, giving New York a 2-1 lead in the series.

Her current performance is a clear comparison to where she was two years ago.

In 2022, the 1.90 meter tall striker played her first nine games with the Fever, but was released at the end of May despite having signed for the off-season. “I had the attitude that I wouldn't play in the W again… I didn't really want that,“Smith announced the post-conference for Game 2 of the Finals. All of this now seems like a distant memory as Smith admits that she “self-reflective towards a mistake“, recorded the scene.

According to her, she tries to remember her WNBA journey before every game. ““Two years ago you were at home and you weren't even thinking about the WNBA… It's a nice little reminder that anything can happen,” she added. In 2023, she entered free agency again after a brief stint with the Chicago Sky.

And since she liked the Lynx best, she came all the way to support her former teammate Courtney Williams. She appeared in 39 games for the Lynx last season, averaging over 26 minutes as a starter. She also has an impressive 75% shooting rate from the free throw line, averaging 10.1 points and 5.6 rebounds.

Well, like she said, anything can happen, and it did. This time, however, not in a positive way, as she was injured at a crucial time for the Lynx. Now their return in Game 4 is questionable. If the Lynx lose the upcoming game against the Liberty, they will be eliminated from the playoffs.