Lakers need to let 3-pointers fly to have chance vs. Thunder

Nypost · May 07, 2026 · 672 words · By Khobi Price

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What to know about Lakers need to let 3-pointers fly to have chance vs. Thunder

OKLAHOMA CITY — It’s no secret that the Lakers’ 3-point volume has dipped significantly since Luka Doncic has been sidelined with a left hamstring strain.

Claims checked 15

Techniques found 0

Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center80%

Right20%

5 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

OKLAHOMA CITY — It’s no secret that the Lakers’ 3-point volume has dipped significantly since Luka Doncic has been sidelined with a left hamstring strain.

Why it matters

But if the Lakers are going to have any chance of beating the Thunder in their best-of-seven second-round playoff series, they’re going to have to reverse the trend regardless of Doncic’s status.

Common ground

The Lakers were a low-volume 3-point shooting team even before Doncic and Austin Reaves (left oblique) suffered their regular-season-ending injuries April 2 against the Thunder.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

Follow-up questions

What concrete event or decision sits underneath the headline: Lakers need to let 3-pointers fly to have chance vs. Thunder?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that They took just eight pull-up 3s in Game 1?
What should readers watch for in the next update to know whether the story is changing?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/05/07/sports/lakers-need-to-let-3-pointers-fly-to-have-c…

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 15 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

schedule Pending 5

info Single Source 5

verified Verified By Reference 2

check_circle Corroborated 2

help Insufficient Evidence 1

schedule

Claim 1: “They took just eight pull-up 3s in Game 1.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

info

Claim 2: “Reaves’ return during Game 5 of the first-round series against the Rockets”

SINGLE SOURCE

The provided evidence for this claim refers to the city of Austin, Texas, and does not mention Austin Reaves or a game against the Rockets.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Aug 10, 2025 · Guide to the best hotels and things to do in Austin. Maps, travel tips and more.
https://travel.usnews.com/Austin_TX/Things_To_Do/

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Austin (/ ˈɔːstɪn / ⓘ AW-stin) [8] is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas. With a population of 961,855 at the 2020 census, [9] it is the 13th-most populous city in the U.S., fifth-most populo…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austin,_Texas

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Austin, Texas is the Live Music Capital of the World... and so much more. Explore our city's hotels, things to do, restaurant and nightlife scene, museums, outdoor spaces and exciting events.
https://www.austintexas.org/

verified

Claim 3: “Just 36% of their shot attempts came from beyond the arc through April 2, according to Cleaning The Glass, which ranked 22nd among NBA teams.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

The provided evidence for this claim consists of unrelated Wikipedia entries and YouTube videos; no data from 'Cleaning The Glass' or specific 3-point attempt percentages for the Lakers was found.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2025 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2024–25 season. The Oklahoma City Thunder, led by the reigning MVP and scoring leader Shai Gilgeous-A…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_NBA_playoffs

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Earvin "Magic" Johnson Jr. (born August 14, 1959) is an American businessman and former professional basketball player. Often regarded as the greatest point guard of all time, Johnson spent his entire…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magic_Johnson

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The NBA on CBS is an American television sports presentation show broadcast by CBS. It aired from October 20, 1973 to June 14, 1990. The branding is used for the presentation of the National Basketbal…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NBA_on_CBS

+ 3 more evidence sources

info

Claim 4: “The Lakers’ 3-point frequency dropped to 30% (28th) in the final five regular-season games without Doncic and Reaves.”

SINGLE SOURCE

One web search result mentions that Doncic and Reaves are finished for the regular season, but the specific statistic (30% frequency, 28th rank) is not corroborated by other sources in the evidence provided.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2024–25 Los Angeles Lakers season was the 78th season of the franchise, its 77th season in the National Basketball Association (NBA), its 65th season in Los Angeles, and its 26th season playing ho…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024–25_Los_Angeles_Lakers_sea…

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Luka Dončić–Anthony Davis trade was a National Basketball Association (NBA) trade made on the night of February 1–2, 2025, which saw Luka Dončić traded from the Dallas Mavericks to the Los Angeles…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luka_Dončić–Anthony_Davis_trad…

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2024 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2023–24 season. The playoffs began on April 20 and concluded on June 17 with the Boston Celtics winni…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_NBA_playoffs

+ 3 more evidence sources

check_circle

Claim 5: “Luka Doncic has been sidelined with a left hamstring strain.”

CORROBORATED

Two independent cross-references from Nypost confirm that Luka Doncic was sidelined with a left hamstring strain.

compare_arrows

cross reference SUPPORTS — Because the Lakers’ best-of-seven first-round playoff series against the Rockets made it clear they need all the offensive help they can get, especially with star guard Luka Doncic remaining sidelined…
https://nypost.com/2026/05/01/sports/lakers-need-to-maximize…

compare_arrows

cross reference SUPPORTS — With star guards Luka Doncic (Grade 2 left hamstring strain) and Austin Reaves (Grade 2 left oblique strain) sidelined, the Lakers opted for more shooting and backcourt depth going into the postseason…
https://nypost.com/2026/04/12/sports/lakers-convert-nick-smi…

help

Claim 6: “their true shooting percentage of 56.6 a strong mark but still fifth among playoff teams compared with ranking second (60.9%) during the regular season.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found after searching for this claim.

info

Claim 7: “the Lakers’ 3-point frequency jumped to 31.3% over the last three games entering Thursday, ranking 13th among the 14 playoff teams that played a game since Reaves came back.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The evidence mentions a Game 2 matchup between Lakers and Thunder on Thursday, but does not provide the 31.3% 3-point frequency statistic or the ranking among playoff teams.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Three numbers to know: 1. The Bucks have seen the league’s biggest jump in points allowed per 100 possessions, from 102.5 ( first ) last season to 110.4 ( 12th ) this season. 2. The Bucks are the only…
https://www.nba.com/news/power-rankings-2020-21-week-12

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Game 2: Lakers at Thunder (Thursday, 9:30 p.m. ET, Prime Video). What to watch in Game 2: During a third-quarter timeout Tuesday, Drake's "Search & Rescue" flowed out of the speakers in the packed Pay…
https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/48676289/2026-nba-playof…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Buy now http://glnk.it/6tMusic video by LMFAO performing Party Rock Anthem featuring Lauren Bennett and GoonRock. (c) 2011 Interscope#VEVOCertified on July 1...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQ6zr6kCPj8

info

Claim 8: “through their first seven playoff games, their 3-point frequency has stayed at 30%, the lowest among all playoff teams.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The provided evidence for this claim consists of unrelated historical Lakers data and a YouTube song; no statistical data for the first seven playoff games is present.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Los Angeles took the first game by three points, but New York won the series in five games.[91]. 1973–1979: Building "Showtime". During the 1973–74 season, the team was hampered by the loss of West, w…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Angeles_Lakers

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — The Pistons scored 29 total points off the Cavs' giveaways. Entering the series, the Cavs said they believed their previous series with Toronto would prepare them for this series against the Pistons, …
https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/48676289/2026-nba-playof…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Get Jon Bellion's "All Time Low" here: https://jonbellion.lnk.to/ATLYDJon Bellion’s debut album ‘The Human Condition’ is available now: https://jonbellion.ln...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXnqkVTFUqY

schedule

Claim 9: “Their 2-point shooting dropped from 59.5% during the regular season to 50.8% in their seven playoff games entering Thursday”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

info

Claim 10: “Doncic and Austin Reaves (left oblique) suffered their regular-season-ending injuries April 2 against the Thunder.”

SINGLE SOURCE

While evidence confirms Luka Doncic is on the Lakers (via trade) and was injured, there is no specific corroboration in the provided evidence for the date 'April 2' or the specific 'left oblique' injury for Reaves occurring on that date against the Thunder.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2026 NBA playoffs is the ongoing postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 2025–26 season. The playoffs began on April 18 and will end with the conclusion of the 2026 NBA Fina…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_NBA_playoffs

menu_book

+ 3 more evidence sources

schedule

Claim 11: “They also only took 13 free throws in Game 1 after averaging 26.3 attempts during the series against the Rockets.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

check_circle

Claim 12: “The Lakers are playing the Thunder in their best-of-seven second-round playoff series.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent sources (Nypost, web search results, and Wikipedia) confirm the Lakers and Thunder are facing each other in the second round of the playoffs.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Wes…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Angeles_Lakers

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2025 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2024–25 season and conclusion to the season's playoffs. The best-of-seven series ended with the Western C…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_NBA_Finals

menu_book

+ 4 more evidence sources

schedule

Claim 13: “the Thunder... has the league’s best defense”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 14: “including 45.5% in their Game 1 loss to the Thunder.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

verified

Claim 15: “The Lakers’ 3-point frequency increased by 5.7% when Doncic was on the floor compared to on the bench”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

The provided evidence contains general team pages and trade information, but no specific statistical analysis regarding 3-point frequency differences based on Doncic's presence on the floor.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Luka Dončić ( LOO-kə DON-chitch; Slovene: [ˈlùːka ˈdòːntʃitʃ]; born February 28, 1999) is a Slovenian professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luka_Dončić

menu_book

+ 3 more evidence sources

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.