"Now that was dirty" - Fans react after Skylar Diggins-Smith takes brutal hit to face from Kahleah Copper 

Seattle Storm guard Skylar Diggins-Smith got hit hard in the face by a driving Kahleah Copper of the Phoenix Mercury late in the second quarter of their game at home on Tuesday. Fans shared their thoughts on the play on social media.

The play took place with 3:25 remaining in the second frame, and the Storm comfortably ahead, 43-24. Copper was driving to the basket off the break and scored on an and-1 play but not after catching Diggins-Smith on the mouth with her left arm, leaving the latter bloodied.

On review, Copper was assessed a technical foul for hitting Skylar Diggins-Smith, who, in turn, hir the free throw given to her. Fans tweeted their takes on the play. Below are what some of them had to say.

@Bellstringer42 said that Copper went too far with the play:

"Now that was dirty"

He was seconded by @TWDTV1, who wrote:

"Geesh Kahleah"

There were others who were left perplexed with the way the play was sorted out.

@gerryyard shared:

"So the And 1 was before the tech? I get that. It did look like she absorbed contact but then gave it back."

Freedom Runner (@FreedomRunner5) said:

"This doesn't make sense. Offensive player gets technical foul for the contact, but still gets the and-1? Why not an offensive foul? Make it make sense, refs."

DaveMorris5 chimed in:

"How is that a blocking foul? The only contact was Diggins-Smith getting hit in the face."

Some chose to be sarcastic, linking it to the much-talked about hit that Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark took from Chicago Sky's Chennedy Carter recently.

Nichole Williams (@Thee_Nichole) wrote:

"Kahleah Copper is a hater, she is just jealous of Skylar Diggins."

FrankSamue22371 had this to say:

"Where's the outrage? If this was ..... nevermind"

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Skylar Diggins-Smith and Storm have last laugh against Mercury

Skylar Diggins-Smith and the Seattle Storm had the last laugh in their home game against the Phoenix Mercury on Tuesday, running away with a dominant 80-62 victory to extend their winning streak to five straight.

The hosts Storm used a strong start, that saw them build a double-digit lead, 25-12, at the end of the opening quarter to set the tone for the game and never looked back.

Ezi Magbegor led the way for Seattle in the win, finishing with 21 points and nine rebounds. Skylar Diggins-Smith, who took a brutal hit to the face in the second quarter, had 17 points, four assists and two steals.

Jewell Loyd and Victoria Vivians, meanwhile, had 15 and 10 points, respectively.

For Phoenix, it was Kahleah Copper who top-scored with 19 points, with Natasha Cloud the other Mercury player in double-digits with 10.

The win improved the Storm to a 6-3 record, second in the Western Conference. Seattle next plays the defending WNBA champions Las Vegas Aces in a road game on Friday.