Gregg Popovich and the San Antonio Spurs are beginning to give Tim Duncan and Tiago Splitter extended minutes together.

“I enjoy being on the court with him,” Duncan said of Splitter. “He’s a great role guy for us and he gets to the front of the rim and makes plays there.

“I’ve become more of a mid-range shooter, although I did not shoot the ball well at all the last three games. That’s kind of our roles together and we click in that respect.”

Duncan added: “Defensively, he’s solid and we can play with two bigs and rebound the ball very well. He’s a good pick and roll guy, too, and we exploit that.”

Splitter is accustomed to being a member of the second unit, which means that group will have to adjust.

“I’ve got to get used to it,” Manu Ginboili said. “For a long time we played with an open four (power forward), either Matt (Bonner) or Boris (Diaw) to help spread the floor. But, yeah, I don’t have a problem with it. I like playing with good players, and they definitely both are good players.”