The Washington Wizards were close to turning the tables on the Golden State Warriors, as they slowly evaporated a sizable lead in the third quarter, though it proved too little, too late to make it come to fruition. Challenging the Warriors in such way was an encouraging sign for a team that had won seven of their last 10 games entering Thursday, but shooting guard Bradley Beal cautioned that while signs are there, the team isn't where it hoped to be just yet.

“I think we're turning a corner,” Bradley Beal said after a 126-118 loss to the Warriors, according to The Associated Press. “We're still not there yet. We still have to dig ourselves out of this hole that we're in. There's only a short amount of time to do it, but we have a great opportunity in front of us.”

The Wizards had three scorers put up 20 or more points in Beal (22), Tomas Satoransky (20), and Trevor Ariza, who led the team with 27.

Washington outshot Golden State from deep, but was beat up in the paint relentlessly, as the Warriors drummed up a season-high 70 points in the painted area with the help of DeMarcus Cousins and a rebound-gobbling second unit.

Beal and company have made good strides to dig themselves out of a poor start to the season, but the Wizards are still a game behind the Detroit Pistons for ninth place and 2.5 games behind the Miami Heat for the last playoff spot.

Whether the corner they've turned is for better or worse, it remains to be seen within the next two weeks, as the trade deadline rapidly approaches.