Tim Duncan's right knee is fine for Game 2 on Wednesday, according to coach Gregg Popovich. There has been no reason to worry about his status after banging knees with Monta Ellis on Sunday. Duncan was dynamite in Game 1's win and touched the ball 13 times within 12 feet of the basket excluding drives, which is far and away the most in the playoffs by any player -- four players tied for second with an average of 8.0. The Mavericks will have their work cut out for themselves.

Tim Duncan banged knees with Monta Ellis in the second half of Sunday's game vs. the Mavericks and returned to action, finishing with 27 points, seven boards and one turnover in 38 minutes. In a post-game interview on TNT, Duncan said he was fine and he called the injury kind of a "funny bone thing." Duncan made 12-of-20 from the field and all but one of those makes came from within 10 feet today. He should be ready to roll for Game 2 on Wednesday and will likely continue to see minutes closer to 40 per game -- well above his season average of 29.2.

Tim Duncan said that it would be "perfect" if he averaged 33-35 minutes per game in the playoffs. "I look forward to [a bigger workload]," Duncan said. "I feel good right now. I'm in shape and healthy and ready to take on those extra minutes." He hyper-extended his knee on April 10 but didn't miss any time with the injury, and Gregg Popovich's cautious management of his players should be a key to the Spurs' postseason success -- the Spurs are the only team in the league that didn't have a single player averaging 30 minutes per game.

Tim Duncan and Tiago Splitter sat out on Wednesday, but the Spurs are healthy and ready for their first-round match up with the Mavericks. The Spurs were 4-0 vs. the Mavs this season and the old guys got plenty of rest down the stretch.

Tim Duncan and Marco Belinelli are out for the Spurs on Wednesday. The kicker is that Gregg Popovich says he has no idea who he's going to start tonight. Stay tuned.

Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili all played on Monday, and all three could play in Wednesday's finale as part of Gregg Popovich's "controlled rest" plan. "You can't just sit for a week and then wait for Sunday and expect to be ready," Ginobili said. "We need to play, go up and down and feel good about ourselves." While their minutes and production might not be through the roof, it does sound like there's a decent chance most of the Spurs will be in action in a meaningless final game against the Lakers.

Tim Duncan returned to action on Monday April 14.

Tim Duncan played 30 minutes against the Rockets on Monday, scoring 12 points with nine boards and two assists. The Spurs had nothing to play for and they still gave Duncan solid minutes. They will close out the regular season on Wednesday vs. the Lakers and we would be very surprised to see him in the lineup for that one. His fantasy owners can make a proactive cut if there is anything promising on the wire.

Tim Duncan will start against the Rockets on Monday night. It's Bizarro World in Houston with the Spurs' Big Three all playing while Kawhi Leonard, Danny Green, Tiago Splitter and Patty Mills are sitting out. Duncan should be in all lineups tonight, but we would be a little shocked to see him play on Wednesday.

Gregg Popovich hinted that he won't rest anyone during Monday's game vs. Houston. Pop emphasized the need to be sharp and in sync for the playoffs, and with two games left on the schedule he may ease up on his extra-cautious approach to resting players. We should get more concrete information after the Spurs warm up for Monday's game, so check back later tonight for updates.