Tiago

Splitter

Splitter has been considered a lottery pick by many experts. The 21-year-old Brazalian could elect to re-enter the draft next season.

Blair delivered an icy glare to Danny Green for not passing him the ball in the final seconds, as Blair had an easy chance to break his career-mark and Green unknowingly continued on with an uncontested layup. Of course, this highlights why Blair doesn’t get consistent minutes and Green is one of Gregg Popovich’s favorites. We don’t know if this will jump-start Blair after the break, but with Tiago Splitter out at least a week on the other side -- Blair is worth a short-term look.

DeJuan Blair had nine points, nine rebounds, a steal and a block in 23 minutes tonight, and will take a bit of a hit once Splitter is back up to full speed.

“You know, I missed some shots I’m not used to missing, but it’s a game, and I’m just happy I was back out on the court and didn’t feel any more pain in my calf,” said Splitter. He finished with only five points, four rebounds and a block in 18 minutes but should see an increased role once he gets fully integrated into the mix.

Splitter was not wearing a protective brace around his calf and appears close to a return. He should be considered questionable to play on Wednesday, but owners will have to wait on an update on his status closer to tipoff. Neal is also iffy to play with his hamstring injury.

“Everything’s in place, I feel good now,” said Splitter. He had seven points, six rebounds and two steals in just 15 minutes and should see a slight increase in minutes moving forward. Regardless, his playing time remains too inconsistent for owners in standard-sized leagues to rely upon.

He’ll limit the minutes of DeJuan Blair, who has been logging heavy playing time recently.

The Spurs have a brutal schedule in April, playing 16 games in 24 days, and Splitter is going to be a pretty shaky center going forward. Let someone else deal with the headaches he’ll bring.

Tim Duncan was out and DeJuan Blair (nine points, five boards, three steals) started at center, leaving plenty of time for Splitter to put up solid numbers again. He’s averaging nearly nine points, six boards and a block per game over his last five, but is probably due for a night off at some point soon.

Hopefully Splitter’s injury isn’t serious, though the Spurs have enough frontcourt depth to overcome his absence if he is forced to miss any games.