Milwaukee's Doc Rivers says Damian Lillard won't 'go out this way' after tearing Achilles tendon

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Milwaukee Bucks coach Doc Rivers has learned to take 10-time NBA All-Star Damian Lillard at his word.

So when Rivers spoke with his injured 34-year-old star guard Tuesday, he wasn't surprised to hear Lillard's reaction to the torn left Achilles tendon that knocked him out of this year's first-round playoff series against Indiana.

“He said two things, which I love," Rivers said. "The first one, he just said ‘I can’t believe I'm here.' Then the second one is ‘I'm not going out this way.' I can guarantee you he won't, and that's what I meant about his resolve.”

Lillard suffered a non-contact injury Sunday night in Game 4 of the Bucks series against Indiana. He was behind the 3-point line, near the top of the key, midway through the first quarter when the ball bounced toward him. Lillard used his left hand to tip the ball toward teammate Gary Trent Jr., then went down and grabbed the lower part of his left leg.

He remained seated as play continued and needed help — both to get up and to leave the court. Milwaukee lost the game 129-103, putting the Bucks in a 3-1 deficit and on the brink of a third straight first-round exit. The series resumes Tuesday night in Indianapolis.

Lillard's absence is a huge blow, especially after the seven-time All-NBA selection fought so hard to return just a month after being diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis in his right calf — an ailment that typically takes months to recover from, not weeks.

Then in his third game back, Lillard got hurt again. this time with an injury that could keep him out of a significant portion of next season and potentially end his pairing with two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo. The tandem has appeared in just three playoff games over their two seasons as teammates.

But Lillard is determined to come back as quickly as possible.

“It's amazing,” Rivers said. “He's already talking about his return and being better and being ready. We had a long talk about that today as well.”

Lillard didn't look like his typically explosive self in any of the three games against the Pacers. He averaged 7.0 points, 4.7 assists and 2.7 rebounds in those games compared with the 31.3 points he scored in last year's 4-2 series loss to the Pacers and the 18.3 points and 9.3 assists he averaged in this season's' four regular-season games against Indiana.

He ranked 10th in the NBA in scoring (24.9) and 10th in assists (7.1) this season.

After Sunday’s game, the Pacers players who had sparred verbally with Lillard through the first three games of the series also sent their best to Lillard.

Rivers opted to shake up his starting lineup Tuesday by inserting guards A.J. Green and Kevin Porter Jr., as well as forward Bobby Portis Jr. Trent also returns to the starting lineup.

Lillard's latest absence is yet the latest chapter in some bad postseason luck for the Bucks since winning their 2021 title.

A knee injury kept Khris Middleton out of the entire seven-game Eastern Conference semifinal loss to Boston in 2022. Antetokounmpo bruised his lower back in Game 1 and missed the next two games before returning in a 2023 first-round series loss to Miami. Antetokounmpo also missed all six games against Indiana in 2024 with a strained calf.

AP Sports Writer Steve Megargee also contributed to this report.

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

Milwaukee Bucks' Damian Lillard is helped from the floor against the Indiana Pacers during the first half of Game 4 of a first-round NBA basketball playoff series Sunday, April 27, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps)

Milwaukee Bucks' Damian Lillard grimaces as he falls to the floor against the Indiana Pacers during the first half of Game 4 of a first-round NBA basketball playoff series Sunday, April 27, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps)

Milwaukee Bucks' Damian Lillard grimaces as he falls to the floor against the Indiana Pacers during the first half of Game 4 of a first-round NBA basketball playoff series Sunday, April 27, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps)

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)