On the surface, it looked like another ho-hum night for Tim Duncan.

Thirty points. Eighteen rebounds. Five assists. Four blocks. One more win.

But the only thing Duncan found easy about Friday's 97-79 victory over Indiana was describing how it came to be.

"Perseverance," Duncan said. "We just fought it out."

For that, the Spurs were happy. On a night in which their thrill-a-minute offense took a sabbatical, they still pounded out their seventh straight victory, wearing down the Pacers over the final 13 minutes.

The win also moved the Spurs (9-2) into a tie with Minnesota atop the Midwest Division, putting the teams on equal footing heading into tonight's game at the Target Center.