EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — Anthony Davis was back for the Lakers, ending more than two months on the sideline.

But it wasn’t enough to beat the Dallas Mavericks, who outlasted the Lakers, 115-110, Thursday in Dallas.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored a team-high 29 points while Andre Drummond and Dennis Schröder each had double-doubles for the Lakers.

The problem was the Lakers’ defense, an unusual issue for the team with the league’s top-rated defense.

Dallas scored on a litany of alley-oop dunks on the way to 94 points through three quarters. The Lakers finally tightened up defensively in the fourth quarter but couldn’t stop turning over the ball in the final 12 minutes.

Davis played only the first half, by design, and looked a little out of sync with his outside shot. He made 2 of 10 attempts and finished with 4 points and 4 rebounds in 17 minutes. It was his first game in 67 days because of Achilles’ tendon and calf soreness.

“I felt fine. My wind felt better than I expected,” Davis said. “I got good looks. I missed. Obviously that comes with time. Get those game reps.”

Davis missed his first five shots, including three mid-range jumpers, before making a step-back jumper from 19 feet. Then he shook his head, likely frustrated by his slow start.

“It felt good just to see the ball go through the rim,” he said.

Davis also scored on a short floater after a spin in the lane. He seemed to move well and had his moments on defense, most notably blocking Kristaps Porzingis’ 17-foot jump shot late in the second quarter.

“He had a little bit of rust but I thought he played extremely well,” Lakers Coach Frank Vogel said. “We’re super excited to have him back out there.”

Porzingis left the game after appearing to sprain his ankle late in the third quarter. He had 19 points and 6 rebounds and did not return.

Luka Doncic had 30 points, 9 rebounds and 8 assists for Dallas, which moved into a tie with Portland for the 6 seed in the Western Conference, 2.5 games behind the Lakers, who are currently the 5 seed.

Drummond had 14 points and 19 rebounds for the Lakers while Schröder had 25 points and 13 assists.

“This is arguably his best game as a Laker,” Vogel said of Schröder. “Hopefully that bodes well for us come playoff time.”

The Lakers and Mavericks play again Saturday in Dallas. LA has 13 regular-season games left.