Tim Duncan (chest contusion) will not play against the Lakers on Friday night. He was ruled out today and the Spurs have famously erred on the side of caution with their aging core players. The good news is that there's nothing seriously wrong with The Big Fundamental, but there's a high probability he'll sit in Saturday's game in Portland, too. Boris Diaw will start while Jeff Ayres and Aron Baynes will likely see some action at Staples Center.

An MRI confirmed that Tim Duncan suffered a chest contusion during Wednesday's game, and he's doubtful to play on Friday. The good news is that he didn't break a rib or suffer any more serious damage, and he'll be with the team when they travel for games in L.A., Portland and Denver. If he's forced to miss any games, expect more playing time for Tiago Splitter, Boris Diaw and Jeff Ayres.

Tim Duncan left Wednesday's game early in the second half after suffering a chest contusion and will undergo further evaluation on Thursday, leaving him questionable for Friday's game at the Lakers. "He'll get checked out tomorrow," Gregg Popovich said. "He had spasms in his shoulder and his neck. It looks like his chest is bruised. He caught an elbow, so it kind of affected (him) from his chest up through his neck at some time or another." If Duncan can't go on Friday, look for Boris Diaw to pick up the start in his place.

Tim Duncan suffered a chest contusion in Wednesday's game and will not return. He'll finish with three points, six boards and two assists in 17 minutes. The severity of his injury is not known and the way the Spurs have always handled Duncan carefully, it's tough to tell if this is something that will force him to miss games. Tiago Splitter will be a bigger piece to the Spurs game inside the paint while Boris Diaw is picking up some extra minutes in the early going.

Tim Duncan hit 3-of-8 shots for 10 points, seven rebounds, seven assists, a steal and two blocks in Tuesday's preseason win. Duncan has looked just like Duncan in the preseason and is primed for another very solid fantasy season. Yes, Gregg Popovich will burn his owners with the occasional DNP blindside, but we're guessing Duncan's season-long production will help ease the pain felt on those nights.

Tim Duncan was efficient in his 19 minutes against the Hawks with 16 points, eight boards and one assist on Thursday. He shot 7-of-12 from the field and he's obviously ready for the season. TD hasn't played more than 22 minutes in any game, yet he's been able to score in double figures in each outing. Duncan should be in for another solid year, but Gregg Popovich giving him rest throughout the season is going to get on fantasy owners' nerves.

Gregg Popovich suggested that Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili will not join the Spurs for Monday's game vs. the Nuggets as a precaution. All three veterans played significant minutes in Sunday's matinee, whereas Boris Diaw and Kawhi Leonard didn't play and Cory Joseph was limited. This is an unsurprising move from Popovich, whose occasional DNP-CDs have been the bane of many fantasy owners.

After losing the NBA Finals in seven games, Tim Duncan said Game 7 will "always" haunt him. Duncan was referencing a missed layup late in the game as well as a couple of other miscues, but Duncan's play is hardly the reason the Spurs lost the series. He finished Game 7 with 24 points, 12 rebounds, four steals and a block in 43 big minutes and proved to everyone that he's still one of the best players in the game at 37 years old. Duncan said he's not considering retirement currently, but that could change and he didn't say for certain that he was going to return.

Tim Duncan double-doubled in Game 7 with 24 points and 12 boards to go with two assists, four steals and one block in 43 minutes. He had a costly miss at the rim in the last minute and the usually stoic Duncan was visibly upset about the miss. It's hard to believe at 37 years old, Duncan averaged 43.5 minutes in Game 6 and 7 while playing with a lot of energy and having the offense run through him quite a bit. He had one of his better regular seasons in a while and showed he still has some gas left in the tank. He probably won't be able to duplicate it next year and with the Spurs resting players, he's going to be a tough player to draft in fantasy next year.

The NBA says Tim Duncan should not have been allowed back on the floor for the Spurs' final possession of regulation in Tuesday's Game 6. Gregg Popovich subbed Duncan out on the prior possession for defensive reasons, which is another discussion entirely. After Ray Allen hit a 3-pointer to tie the game, Popovich put Duncan back on the floor while the referees reviewed the play. Duncan eventually inbounded the play to Tony Parker, who eventually ended regulation with an airball on a fadeaway runner. The problem is the Spurs didn't have timeout and the NBA ruled today that Duncan shouldn't have been allowed back on the court. If Parker had made that shot, there likely would've been utter chaos, including a formal protest by the Heat. The teams may have even needed to replay that possession with 5.2 seconds left on the clock and Duncan off the court at some point Wednesday. So, in the end, let's just be happy Parker missed that shot and we don't have to process all the absurd possibilities that would've resulted had he made it.