Lakers 'starting over' in reintegrating Anthony Davis to lineup

There's not much time left in the regular season for the Los Angeles Lakers to climb in the standings after a 108-93 loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday. 

Although the defending champions have been playing together for more than four months, Anthony Davis admitted after the game that it feels like the team is starting over after he returned from injury. 

"It's like you're starting over with the guys and just trying to find a connection with these guys again," Davis said, according to ESPN's Dave McMenamin. "They're trying to find a connection with me. So, it's like we're starting from zero, which is tough so late in the season."

Davis has struggled since returning from Achilles tendinosis and a calf strain that kept him sidelined for over two months. The Lakers have lost their last two games with Davis in the lineup and are currently on a three-game losing streak. 

Davis scored 17 points in 28 minutes on Saturday and shot just 5-for-19, including a 1-for-5 mark in the fourth quarter.

The Lakers are fifth in the Western Conference and could very well drop even further in the standings with LeBron James still sidelined. L.A. is currently nine games back of the first-place Utah Jazz and it's unlikely the team propels into the top two with only 12 games remaining.