Australian Olympic medallist Matisse Thybulle has returned from almost four months out through injury as his Portland Trailblazers were routed by Nikola Jokic's Denver Nuggets.

In his first game since undergoing thumb surgery on October 31 and also struggling with knee tendiopathy, noted defender Thybulle came off the bench, scoring five points and grabbing three steals in 13 minutes.

But it proved an inauspicious game for the 2021 Tokyo Olympian to make his comeback in as Denver produced the highest points tally of the NBA season in their 157-103 win in Portland on Friday.

Jokic had 32 points, nine rebounds and seven assists while Jamal Murray added 25 points and Julian Strawther and Tim Hardaway Jr. each had 19 as the Nuggets (36-21) recorded the most points in a road game in their franchise's history.

In Los Angeles, Luka Doncic scored 38 points with 11 assists and Austin Reaves added 29 points as the Lakers used a full complement of stars to earn a 125-122 victory over the Clippers.

LeBron James added 13 points with 11 assists as the Lakers' star trio played together for just the 11th time this season and fourth time since mid- December. Doncic returned after missing four games before the All-Star break with a hamstring injury.

Kawhi Leonard scored 31 points and Bennedict Mathurin added 26 for the Clippers.

In Charlotte, Donovan Mitchell's 32 points and Jarrett Allen's 26 points carried the Cleveland Cavaliers as they extended their season-best winning streak to seven games by beating the host Hornets 118-113.

James Harden had a strong second half and finished with 18 points and eight assists while Sam Merrill provided 10 points for the Cavaliers in Friday night's game.

The Cavaliers sit third in the Eastern Conference at 36-21.

Rookie Kon Knueppel made seven 3-point shots on the way to 33 points for the Hornets, while Australia's Josh Green added 11 points off the bench.

Jared McCain scored 21 off the bench and Chet Holmgren had 15 points and seven rebounds to help lift short-handed Oklahoma City to a 105-86 win over visiting Brooklyn.

The Western Conference-leading Thunder (43-14) won for the third time in four games despite being without stars Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (abdomen) and Jalen Williams (hamstring).

Tyler Herro returned from a lengthy injury absence to score 24 points, leading Miami to a 128-97 away win over Atlanta.

Herro, who missed 15 games with fractured ribs, came off the bench to shoot 9 of 14 from the field with four rebounds. Bam Adebayo totaled 17 points and eight rebounds and Norman Powell added 15 points for the Heat.

Atlanta's Jalen Johnson amassed 16 points, 16 rebounds and 11 assists. The Hawks also got 22 points from Onyeka Okongwu and 20 apiece from Nickeil Alexander-Walker and CJ McCollum.

The Hawks' Australian duo of starter Dyson Daniels (4pts, 7 rebounds, 3 assists) and bench centre Jock Landale (3 points, 6 rebounds) were quiet on offense.