Napheesa Collier, Kayla McBride put finishing touches on Lynx win in Dallas

For the second straight game, the Dallas Wings gave the Minnesota Lynx all they could handle.

But for the second time this week, it was Napheesa Collier, Kayla McBride and their teammates who came out on top when all was said and done.

Collier finished with 25 points and McBride added 20 — including her 500th career 3-pointer — as Minnesota held off a fourth-quarter Dallas surge to beat the Wings 90-81 on Thursday night at College Park Center in Arlington, Texas.

“It’s that toughness you see really coming through,” Collier said of the Lynx, who improved to 17-17 with six games left in the regular season. “We’re just doing what needs to get done — especially rebounding and on defense at the end of games.

“I’m really proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish these past two games.”

The Lynx entered the fourth quarter leading 71-60, but led by 6-foot-7 center Teaira McCowan — who finished with 23 points and 18 rebounds — the Wings (18-16) managed to cut the gap to one three times down the stretch, the last coming on a layup by McCowan that made the score 81-80 with 2:13 to play.

But Collier went 6 for 6 from the free-throw line in the final two minutes and McBride hit a big 3-pointer — the 502nd of her career — as Minnesota pulled away.

“There’s a huge amount of trust between the two of them,” Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve said. “They both need each other. They play so well together. They’re doing things schematically on offense that are challenging to an opponent.

“They’ve always had it. But it’s a little different now. They’re our big two so to speak.”

While there was plenty of drama in the game action Thursday, things remained calmer than they did in the Lynx’s 91-86 win over Dallas on Tuesday at Target Center in which the Wings’ rallied to cut the Minnesota lead to just one with under 20 seconds to go.

That came after a second flagrant foul call against the Lynx’s Bridget Carleton, which resulted in her ejection and an ankle injury to Dallas forward Satou Sabally, which kept her out of action Thursday. Three Lynx fans were also ejected for taunting Sabally after she was hurt.

With Sabally sidelined, Awak Kuier made her first career start and scored 11 points in the first half.

The Lynx went into the locker room leading 50-48, despite the Wings going to the free throw line 19 times in the first two quarters — 18 of those attempts coming in the second quarter.

Dallas also had 32 first-half points in the paint compared to just 24 for the Lynx.

“We were trying to stop a team that was obviously huge,” Reeve said. “Throughout the game, there were so many challenges. And for whatever reason, the whistle was really rough on us.

“To have the adversity we did … we’re on the road and it’s frustrating,” she continued. “But we stayed locked in regardless of what was happening and how frustrating it might be. We found a way to problem-solve together.”

Indeed, Minnesota began the second half on a 14-0 run — including McBride’s milestone 3-pointer and five points from rookie Dorka Juhasz — to expand its lead to 64-48 early in the third quarter.

The gap got as wide as 16 before the Wings cut it to as little as nine. But a basket by Rachel Banham to end the third quarter put the Lynx back up by 11 to start the fourth.

Dallas got to the line just three times in the third quarter. And yet … again, the Wings would not go away.

“It’s a game of runs,” said Minnesota guard Tiffany Mitchell, who finished with 11 points and a game-high seven assists. “We know we’re not going to hold any team down for an entire 40 minutes. We wish we could. But we just have to be able to withstand those runs and answer back.”

Which is just what the tandem of Collier and McBride did in the final two minutes.

“It’s really fun to play with her, especially in a pick-and-roll,” Collier said. “She and (Banham) are the best shooters on our team. Anytime I’m in a pick-and-roll with (either of) them, we each have so much gravity that we can pretty much get any shot we want.

“If they go with me, she’s open. If they go with her, I’m open. So playing with (McBride) is really fun.”

Minnesota will attempt to extend its winning streak to three when it plays host to the New York Liberty at 7 p.m. Saturday at Target Center.

“I think (the past two wins) just show how we’ve grown,” Collier said. “That’s how you want the season to be. You want to see growth in a team and I think you’re seeing that in us for sure.”