Timberwolves welcome four-game homestand

Finally, a homestand.

Since training camp began, the Timberwolves have been nomads. They trained in California. They played preseason games in China. The only thing resembling a homestand were back-to-back home games against Dallas and Charlotte Nov. 4 and 5.

Other than that, back and forth, home and away.

But, at least for a while, that will change. Wednesday's game against Orlando was the first of four in a row at Target Center over the coming week. The Wolves will get seven days at home, no travel. That's enough time to get some quality practice in, to settle back into a rhythm.

"We're looking forward to it," Wolves coach Tom Thibodeau said after Wednesday's morning shootaround. "Our schedule was a challenge early on. This is an opportunity for us to come home, take it day by day, be ready to go."

The schedule — there is a day off between all four games — will give the team time to rest and improve with practice time.

"When you look back at the schedule, we went to China," Thibodeau said. "We've played 10 road games. We've had a lot of one game in, one game out, a lot of travel involved. This is a good chance for us to gather ourselves, get some good quality work in, and concentrate on some things we have to improve on."

"I forgot what that felt like," Crawford said. "It feels good. Obviously, you want to play in front of the home fans. Being home is like your safe haven."

That said, the Wolves need to defend the home court — they also play host to Miami, Phoenix and Washington — where they are 6-2. "You can't allow people to come into your arena and think it's easy," Jimmy Butler said. "When you play in your house, your home, they have to be intimidated."

With the Iowa Wolves of the G League in the middle of a week off between games, the Wolves recalled shooting guard Anthony Brown.

With a handful of full practices coming up, the move benefits both Brown and the Wolves.

"As we're navigating through having a [G League] team for the first time, that's how we want to use it," Thibodeau said. "We want to use it both ways. They have a break, that gives us a chance to bring him back and get a look at him. But also, it helps us with practice, preparation."

• Wolves second-year guard Marques Georges-Hunt promised himself he'd give back when he established himself in pro basketball. Last week, he delivered holiday meals to three families with Open Arms, a Minneapolis-based nonprofit that delivers nutritious meals to people living with life-threatening diseases.