Lakers' Russell Westbrook, Bulls' DeMar DeRozan exit COVID protocols

Lakers guard Russell Westbrook has cleared the NBA’s COVID-19 protocols and will be available for Friday’s game against Minnesota, according to Jovan Buha of The Athletic.

Westbrook just entered the protocols on Thursday, so his quick exit is great news for the Lakers. It sounds as if Westbrook may have registered a false positive and was cleared when he subsequently recorded multiple consecutive negative tests. The Lakers do still have a handful of players in the protocols: Talen Horton-Tucker, Dwight Howard, Avery Bradley and Kendrick Nunn.

Meanwhile, Bulls forward DeMar DeRozan has also exited the health and safety protocols, according to the team, via Rob Schaefer of NBC Sports Chicago.

DeRozan was initially placed in the protocols back on December 6, so it seems safe to assume he actually contracted COVID-19. He may require a short ramp-up period for conditioning purposes before he clears his cardiac tests and is given the go-ahead to return to game action.

The Bulls, who had two games postponed this week, are scheduled to resume play on Sunday in Chicago against the Lakers. They still have seven players in the protocols for the time being.