"Unacceptable how we’re playing": Skylar Diggins-Smith vents out frustration after Storm's crushing defeat

Skylar Diggins-Smith expressed her frustration following the Seattle Storm’s loss against the Washington Mystics. Considering their star-studded roster, Diggins-Smith felt that their on-court display had not been up to par with what was expected this season.

Diggins-Smith was particularly hard on herself after committing a foul on Mystics’ Brittney Sykes, giving Washington the two-point lead and the 74-72 win. The Storm star was also critical of how the team played throughout the game, saying that it should not have come down to how the end unfolded.

“I f**ked it up at the end, and it’s a terrible foul. As a vet, you can’t make that play,” she said in the post-game press conference. “But it shouldn’t f***ing (have) to come down to that.”

Diggins-Smith called out her teammates for their lack of effort, which caused them to fall to 18-11, the fifth-best record in the WNBA.

“In this league, if you aren’t ready to play, you’ll get beat every f***ing night ... They were ready to play, and we weren’t — on both sides of the basketball. They deserved to win,” Diggins-Smith said.

“We need to be hitting our stride right now, and we’re not there…It’s unacceptable how we’re playing on both sides of the basketball.”

Diggins-Smith had 10 points, three rebounds, and eight assists but struggled in the field on a 4-of-10 clip. Overall, the team shot poorly against the Mystics, making only 37.85 of their shots (28/74), compared to their opponents' 44.1% shooting (30/68).

The Storm has lost three of their last four games. Moreover, it was also only the team’s fourth home loss this season.

Skylar Diggins-Smith wants Seattle Storm to step it up

Despite the loss, the Seattle Storm remains one of the biggest contenders in the league. However, the Storm will have a tough climb if the playoffs are to start today, as they would have faced defending champions and current fourth-seed Las Vegas Aces in the first round.

Diggins-Smith wants to instill a sense of urgency in the team as they march down the final stretch of the regular season, which could have significant playoff implications.

“We all have to step our game up. In this league, it only gets harder after the break,” Diggins-Smith said. “And that’s fine, that’s fine. But if we don’t come ready to play from the start, we’re going to f***ing lose.”

However, it only gets tougher from here for the Storm as they will face fellow contenders New York Liberty, Connecticut Sun, and playoff-hungry Atlanta Dream in their next five games.