LeBron James returned to help give the Miami Heat a 97-94 victory over the Denver Nuggets by recording his third double-double of the season.

Having missed the Heat's last game, James turned home 26 points and 10 assists on his 29th birthday, while Chris Bosh added 17 points on 8-for-12 shooting to ensure the win.

Ty Lawson added 26 points and JJ Hickson provided 12 points and 11 rebounds for the Nuggets, but it wasn't enough to prevent Denver from losing their seventh-straight game of the season.

The result sees the Heat sitting in first place in the Southeast Division, having collected 24-7 so far this campaign.