Why is Olivia Miles not playing tonight vs Fever? Is Lynx rookie injured? Reason behind her absence explained

The Minnesota Lynx are heading into their road matchup with the Indiana Fever with the No. 1 seed within reach, but they are without one of their most important players.

Minnesota has dropped three of its last four games, making Tuesday’s contest significant as the team looks to regain momentum before the postseason.

However, the Lynx have also been dealing with an injury concern surrounding rookie guard Olivia Miles.

Why is Olivia Miles not playing tonight?

Olivia Miles has been ruled out of the Lynx’s matchup against the Fever, meaning she will miss the team’s penultimate regular-season game.

The 23-year-old was listed with a left calf issue ahead of the Tuesday fixture. The Lynx enters the contest at 32-10 and in control of the top spot in the WNBA standings.

Miles’ latest injury emerged shortly after Minnesota’s 101-89 victory over the Connecticut Sun. She delivered an impressive performance in that game, finishing with 21 points, six assists, three rebounds and two steals without showing an obvious sign of an injury during the contest.

The concern involves Miles’ left calf, making it different from the right calf problem that forced her to miss two games earlier in the season.

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Minnesota’s decision to monitor the issue comes with the playoffs approaching, giving the team added reason to avoid unnecessarily pushing its rookie star.

Miles took part in shootaround

Despite the calf concern, Miles did take part in Tuesday’s morning shootaround, according to reports.

The situation also comes at an important point in the Lynx’s season. Minnesota had already secured a playoff spot and entered the final stretch with control of the No. 1 seed, meaning the organization could prioritize Miles’ health with the postseason approaching.

A record breaking rookie year

The rookie has been a major part of Minnesota’s success throughout her first WNBA season. She had appeared in 40 of the Lynx’s first 42 games while averaging 19.8 points, 6.0 assists and 4.7 rebounds per game, according to recent reports.

Miles has also emerged as Minnesota’s leading scorer and recently surpassed Caitlin Clark’s WNBA single-season rookie scoring record. Her latest 21-point performance against Connecticut pushed her further into the record books.

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With the playoffs just around the corner, Minnesota has little incentive to take an unnecessary risk with a player who has carried such a significant workload throughout her rookie campaign.