LeBron James, Alex Caruso
Photo: David Zalubowski/Associated Press

Alex Caruso opened up about why he missed five games for the Los Angeles Lakers over the last couple of weeks.

Caruso said he didn’t test positive for the coronavirus, but he was in the NBA Health and Safety protocols, due to contact tracing.

“Alex Caruso says he never tested positive for COVID-19, but rather was in the league’s health & safety protocols because of contact tracing with someone he had seen after Christmas,” Jovan Buha of The Athletic reports.

Caruso returned to the Lakers’ lineup in the loss to the Spurs (118-109) and had eight points (3/3 shooting) in 20 minutes of action.