Jokic scores career-high 61 points, plays nearly 53 minutes in 140-139 double-OT loss to Wolves

DENVER (AP) — Michael Malone called him Superman. At the moment, Nikola Jokic’s just super-tired.

The Denver Nuggets big man can't wait to get some sleep after a career-best 61-point performance in which he played nearly 53 minutes. He didn't leave the court after halftime of a 140-139 double-overtime loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday night.

His scoring spree was the most by a player in the NBA this season. Jokic also had 10 rebounds and 10 assists, notching the third 60-point triple-double in NBA history. Luka Doncic did it on Dec. 27, 2022 and James Harden did it on Jan. 30, 2018.

“The guy’s Superman,” Nuggets coach Malone said. “He’s on a whole other level, man. People say he’s not athletic, but not many guys can do what he does."

Jokic's previous career best was 56 points in a loss at Washington on Dec. 7. The franchise mark is held by David Thompson, who had 73 points at Detroit on April 9, 1978.

On Tuesday, Jokic attempted 24 free throws — making 19 — to match the team mark held by Carmelo Anthony. For all his exploits, Jokic had just one over-riding emotion: “Tired,” he said. "It was an exhausting game.”

Anthony Edwards gave the three-time NBA MVP major props. Jokic's in a heated race for another MVP award with Oklahoma City's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

“Nikola Jokic, he might be the best basketball player that I have ever seen close up, besides myself,” cracked Edwards, who had 34 points and 10 rebounds. "He is incredible. The MVP race is tough. I don’t know. He had 60. That is crazy.”

Of course, this game — a sixth straight loss to Minnesota, including playoffs — will be remembered by Nuggets fans for Jokic's exploits on the court. But it will also be remembered for a wild finish.

Leading 139-138 with around 14 seconds left, Russell Westbrook stole the ball and dished it over to Christian Braun who then sent it right back to Westbrook for a layup. But Westbrook's layup clanked off the rim and started a break the other way.

Westbrook ran down the court and fouled Nickeil Alexander-Walker in the corner with 0.1 seconds remaining. The Timberwolves guard hit two of three free throws to steal the victory.

“Obviously, I feel awful for Russ,” Malone said. "That last play we get the turnover, we don’t convert, and then the foul. It was not from a lack of effort or care.

"Sometimes it goes like that, and that’s why we've just got to be strong. We've got to be resilient."

The big question: Should the Nuggets have not attempted the layup and pulled the ball back out to run down the clock?

“It’s tough. You've got a two-on-one break,” Malone said. "As a coach, am I up on the sideline yelling, ‘Don’t go?’ We’ve got a layup. But it’s easy to say that (pull the ball out) in hindsight, because we missed a layup. ... He (Westbrook) is a tough kid, and I think he knows that everybody in that locker room’s got his back."

For Jokic, there's not much time for rest. The Nuggets play Wednesday night against San Antonio. All he said he needs was a little break.

“I think we’re so used to this,” Jokic said. “Tomorrow, I’m not going to remember I played so many minutes.”

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, left, pursues a loose ball with Minnesota Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels in the second half of an NBA basketball game Tuesday, April 1, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, left, looks to pass the ball as Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert defends in the second half of an NBA basketball game Tuesday, April 1, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, right, steals the ball from Minnesota Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels in the first half of an NBA basketball game Tuesday, April 1, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, right, shoots for a basket over Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert in the first half of an NBA basketball game Tuesday, April 1, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

NEW YORK (AP) — Reviving a campaign pledge, President Donald Trump wants a one-year, 10% cap on credit card interest rates, a move that could save Americans tens of billions of dollars but drew immediate opposition from an industry that has been in his corner.

Trump was not clear in his social media post Friday night whether a cap might take effect through executive action or legislation, though one Republican senator said he had spoken with the president and would work on a bill with his “full support.” Trump said he hoped it would be in place Jan. 20, one year after he took office.

Strong opposition is certain from Wall Street in addition to the credit card companies, which donated heavily to his 2024 campaign and have supported Trump's second-term agenda. Banks are making the argument that such a plan would most hurt poor people, at a time of economic concern, by curtailing or eliminating credit lines, driving them to high-cost alternatives like payday loans or pawnshops.

“We will no longer let the American Public be ripped off by Credit Card Companies that are charging Interest Rates of 20 to 30%,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.

Researchers who studied Trump’s campaign pledge after it was first announced found that Americans would save roughly $100 billion in interest a year if credit card rates were capped at 10%. The same researchers found that while the credit card industry would take a major hit, it would still be profitable, although credit card rewards and other perks might be scaled back.

About 195 million people in the United States had credit cards in 2024 and were assessed $160 billion in interest charges, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau says. Americans are now carrying more credit card debt than ever, to the tune of about $1.23 trillion, according to figures from the New York Federal Reserve for the third quarter last year.

Further, Americans are paying, on average, between 19.65% and 21.5% in interest on credit cards according to the Federal Reserve and other industry tracking sources. That has come down in the past year as the central bank lowered benchmark rates, but is near the highs since federal regulators started tracking credit card rates in the mid-1990s. That’s significantly higher than a decade ago, when the average credit card interest rate was roughly 12%.

The Republican administration has proved particularly friendly until now to the credit card industry.

Capital One got little resistance from the White House when it finalized its purchase and merger with Discover Financial in early 2025, a deal that created the nation’s largest credit card company. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which is largely tasked with going after credit card companies for alleged wrongdoing, has been largely nonfunctional since Trump took office.

In a joint statement, the banking industry was opposed to Trump's proposal.

“If enacted, this cap would only drive consumers toward less regulated, more costly alternatives," the American Bankers Association and allied groups said.

Bank lobbyists have long argued that lowering interest rates on their credit card products would require the banks to lend less to high-risk borrowers. When Congress enacted a cap on the fee that stores pay large banks when customers use a debit card, banks responded by removing all rewards and perks from those cards. Debit card rewards only recently have trickled back into consumers' hands. For example, United Airlines now has a debit card that gives miles with purchases.

The U.S. already places interest rate caps on some financial products and for some demographics. The Military Lending Act makes it illegal to charge active-duty service members more than 36% for any financial product. The national regulator for credit unions has capped interest rates on credit union credit cards at 18%.

Credit card companies earn three streams of revenue from their products: fees charged to merchants, fees charged to customers and the interest charged on balances. The argument from some researchers and left-leaning policymakers is that the banks earn enough revenue from merchants to keep them profitable if interest rates were capped.

"A 10% credit card interest cap would save Americans $100 billion a year without causing massive account closures, as banks claim. That’s because the few large banks that dominate the credit card market are making absolutely massive profits on customers at all income levels," said Brian Shearer, director of competition and regulatory policy at the Vanderbilt Policy Accelerator, who wrote the research on the industry's impact of Trump's proposal last year.

There are some historic examples that interest rate caps do cut off the less creditworthy to financial products because banks are not able to price risk correctly. Arkansas has a strictly enforced interest rate cap of 17% and evidence points to the poor and less creditworthy being cut out of consumer credit markets in the state. Shearer's research showed that an interest rate cap of 10% would likely result in banks lending less to those with credit scores below 600.

The White House did not respond to questions about how the president seeks to cap the rate or whether he has spoken with credit card companies about the idea.

Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., who said he talked with Trump on Friday night, said the effort is meant to “lower costs for American families and to reign in greedy credit card companies who have been ripping off hardworking Americans for too long."

Legislation in both the House and the Senate would do what Trump is seeking.

Sens. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Josh Hawley, R-Mo., released a plan in February that would immediately cap interest rates at 10% for five years, hoping to use Trump’s campaign promise to build momentum for their measure.

Hours before Trump's post, Sanders said that the president, rather than working to cap interest rates, had taken steps to deregulate big banks that allowed them to charge much higher credit card fees.

Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., have proposed similar legislation. Ocasio-Cortez is a frequent political target of Trump, while Luna is a close ally of the president.

Seung Min Kim reported from West Palm Beach, Fla.

President Donald Trump arrives on Air Force One at Palm Beach International Airport, Friday, Jan. 9, 2025, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

FILE - Visa and Mastercard credit cards are shown in Buffalo Grove, Ill., Feb. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File)