Connaughton has career-high 43 points as Bucks beat Pistons 140-133 in OT to close regular season

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Pat Connaughton had a career-high 43 points and a season-high 11 rebounds as the Milwaukee Bucks defeated the Detroit Pistons 140-133 in overtime on Sunday to close the regular season on an eight-game winning streak.

Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo, Detroit’s Cade Cunningham and several other regulars didn't play with both teams already locked into their playoff positions. The fifth-seeded Bucks face Indiana and the sixth-seeded Pistons take on New York in the opening round of the playoffs.

Milwaukee's lone usual starter to play was Kyle Kuzma, who scored 22 points in the first quarter before sitting out the rest of the game. Tyler Smith added 20 points and Pete Nance had 19 for the Bucks.

Malik Beasley scored 23 points to lead six Pistons in double figures. Lindy Waters III and Marcus Sasser each added 18 points. Sasser also had 10 assists.

Pistons: Beasley went 7 of 11 from beyond the arc to end the regular season with a career-high 319 3-pointers, but he fell one shy of the NBA lead. Minnesota's Anthony Edwards also made seven 3-pointers later Sunday in a 116-105 victory over the Utah Jazz to finish with an NBA-high 320.

Bucks: All that mattered to Milwaukee was staying healthy for the playoffs. The Bucks accomplished that by resting most of their main guys.

With both teams deep into their benches, the Pistons erased an eight-point deficit in the last 15 seconds of regulation to force overtime. Waters tied the game by sinking a 3-pointer with 1.9 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter.

The list of players with career scoring highs Sunday included Milwaukee's Jamaree Bouyea (15), Connaughton, Nance and Smith as well Detroit's Bobi Klintman (15) and Tolu Smith (14). Klintman had never scored a point in an NBA game before Sunday. Tolu Smith also had eight rebounds in his NBA debut.

The Pistons and Bucks will begin their respective first-round playoff series either Saturday or Sunday.

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

Detroit Pistons' Malik Beasley (5) drives to the basket against Milwaukee Bucks' Pete Nance during the first half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, April 13, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Aaron Gash)

Detroit Pistons' Malik Beasley drives to the basket against Milwaukee Bucks' Pete Nance during the first half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, April 13, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Aaron Gash)

Detroit Pistons' Malik Beasley (5) reacts to a call during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Milwaukee Bucks, Sunday, April 13, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Aaron Gash)

Detroit Pistons' Daniss Jenkins reacts to a call during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Milwaukee Bucks, Sunday, April 13, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Aaron Gash)

Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard watch from the bench during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Detroit Pistons, Sunday, April 13, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Aaron Gash)

Detroit Pistons head coach J. B. Bickerstaff yells to the bench during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Milwaukee Bucks, Sunday, April 13, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Aaron Gash)

Detroit Pistons' Daniss Jenkins (24) drives to the basket against Milwaukee Bucks' Jamaree Bouyea during the first half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, April 13, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Aaron Gash)

Detroit Pistons' Cade Cunningham looks on during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Milwaukee Bucks, Sunday, April 13, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Aaron Gash)

Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo watches from the bench with his son in his lap during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Detroit Pistons, Sunday, April 13, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Aaron Gash)

Detroit Pistons' Bobi Klintman (34) passes around Milwaukee Bucks' Pete Nance and Chris Livingston during the first half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, April 13, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Aaron Gash)

Milwaukee Bucks' Stanley Umude, right, fouls Detroit Pistons' Malik Beasley during the first half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, April 13, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Aaron Gash)

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — Richard “Dick” Codey, a former acting governor of New Jersey and the longest serving legislator in the state's history, died Sunday. He was 79.

Codey’s wife, Mary Jo Codey, confirmed her husband’s death to The Associated Press.

“Gov. Richard J. Codey passed away peacefully this morning at home, surrounded by family, after a brief illness,” Codey's family wrote in a Facebook post on Codey's official page.

"Our family has lost a beloved husband, father and grandfather -- and New Jersey lost a remarkable public servant who touched the lives of all who knew him," the family said.

Known for his feisty, regular-guy persona, Codey was a staunch advocate of mental health awareness and care issues. The Democrat also championed legislation to ban smoking from indoor areas and sought more money for stem cell research.

Codey, the son of a northern New Jersey funeral home owner, entered the state Assembly in 1974 and served there until he was elected to the state Senate in 1982. He served as Senate president from 2002 to 2010.

Codey first served as acting governor for a brief time in 2002, after Christine Todd Whitman’s resignation to join President George W. Bush’s administration. He held the post again for 14 months after Gov. Jim McGreevey resigned in 2004.

At that time, New Jersey law mandated that the Senate president assume the governor’s role if a vacancy occurred, and that person would serve until the next election.

Codey routinely drew strong praise from residents in polls, and he gave serious consideration to seeking the Democratic nomination for governor in 2005. But he ultimately chose not to run when party leaders opted to back wealthy Wall Street executive Jon Corzine, who went on to win the office.

Codey would again become acting governor after Corzine was incapacitated in April 2007 due to serious injuries he suffered in a car accident. He held the post for nearly a month before Corzine resumed his duties.

After leaving the governor’s office, Codey returned to the Senate and also published a memoir that detailed his decades of public service, along with stories about his personal and family life.

“He lived his life with humility, compassion and a deep sense of responsibility to others,” his family wrote. “He made friends as easily with Presidents as he did with strangers in all-night diners.”

Codey and his wife often spoke candidly about her past struggles with postpartum depression, and that led to controversy in early 2005, when a talk radio host jokingly criticized Mary Jo and her mental health on the air.

Codey, who was at the radio station for something else, confronted the host and said he told him that he wished he could “take him outside.” But the host claimed Codey actually threatened to “take him out,” which Codey denied.

His wife told The Associated Press that Codey was willing to support her speaking out about postpartum depression, even if it cost him elected office.

“He was a really, really good guy,” Mary Jo Codey said. “He said, ‘If you want to do it, I don’t care if I get elected again.’”

Jack Brook contributed reporting from New Orleans.

FILE - New Jersey State Sen. and former Democratic Gov. Richard Codey is seen before New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy delivers his State of the State address to a joint session of the Legislature at the statehouse, in Trenton, N.J., Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)