Timberwolves point guard Terrell Brandon had been in the game barely five minutes Saturday night when he cut right toward the top of the key, lost his balance and fell hard on his surgically repaired left knee.
Several teammates appeared to wince for a split second -- until Brandon popped up, grinned and started issuing instructions as if he hadn't spent the previous 32 days on the injured list.

"When I got hit, I was like, "Yeah, I'm back on the court where I belong,' '' Brandon said after logging 17 minutes, eight points and four assists in Minnesota's 105-102 victory at Golden State. "It felt good to be in there, get jostled around. ... It felt good to get elbowed in the mouth. I missed it.''

It felt good?