The second round of the 2023 NBA Playoffs is officially here, and it has already produced some big moments. Organizations are now a step closer to taking home the Larry O’Brien Trophy, but there is still a long way to go when it comes to reaching that ultimate goal. With the Los Angeles Lakers set to face the Golden State Warriors on the road on Thursday, that means it's time for some Lakers Game 2 predictions.

Los Angeles went 43-39 in the regular season, finishing as the seventh seed in the Western Conference. That earned the Lakers a spot in the Play-In Tournament, where they ended up defeating the Minnesota Timberwolves 108-102 in overtime to officially secure a spot in the playoffs as the seven seed. In their first round series, the Lakers kept up their momentum by defeating the Memphis Grizzlies in six games.

On the other side of the series, Golden State also endured many ups and downs throughout the regular season. After winning the 2022 NBA Finals, the Warriors lost multiple important rotational pieces over the ensuing offseason and had nine fewer wins than then they did during their championship campaign. Still, with a 44-38 record, the Dubs managed to secure the sixth seed in the West. That drew the Warriors a first-round matchup in the opening series with the Sacramento Kings, which they ended up winning in seven games.

That setup a highly anticipated second-round matchup between these two squads. In Game 1 on Tuesday night, the Lakers managed to steal a game at the Chase Center with a 117-112 victory. Once again on the road, Los Angeles will have the chance of opening an important 2-0 lead over Golden State before even playing at home.

With all this in mind, let's take a look at three bold predictions for the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 2 of their Western Conference semifinals series against the Golden State Warriors on Thursday.

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3. Anthony Davis wins the rebounding battle for the Lakers over Kevon Looney

While Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson require some extra attention from the Lakers defenders, LA also needs to contain another player; Kevon Looney. Looney is coming off a big first-round series versus the Kings, and he continued his strong play in Game 1 on Tuesday when he dropped ten points, secured a whopping 23 rebounds, and doled out five assists, which was surprisingly the second highest mark on the team.

If the Lakers want to open a 2-0 lead over the Warriors, they need to contain Looney. Fortunately for them, Anthony Davis also shined in Game 1. Davis scored a game-best 30 points on 11-19 shooting while matching Looney's 23 rebounds himself. The eight-time All-Star also added five assists and four blocks in his dominant outing.

Davis and Looney battled on the boards in game 1, with neither getting the upper hand over the other, but in Game 2, Davis will win the battle on the glass over Looney. This will allow the Lakers to limit the Warriors opportunities for second-chance points, which could have a huge impact for both teams.

2. Lakers' LeBron James has an efficient 25-point double-double

Another Laker who will need to keep playing at a high level on Thursday night is LeBron James. The four-time NBA champion is a crucial piece for LA in their quest to win a championship this season, and he should be the team's main option on offense once again in Game 2.

In the series opener, James recorded a double-double with 22 points and 11 rebounds, plus four assists and three blocks. However, he shot just 9-24 from the field and 1-8 from long distance, continuing his shooting struggles from Los Angeles' first round series.

So far in the playoffs, James is averaging 22.1 points, 11.1 rebounds, and 5 assists per game on 46.6 percent shooting from the field. The problem is that James is hitting just 18.4 percent of his threes, 68.6 percent of his free throws. To steal another game at the Chase Center, the Lakers will need James to be far more efficient from the field, while continuing to make a strong effort on the glass as a rebounder.

James will once again finish Game 2 with a double-double, but this time he will do so on an efficient shooting performance while pouring in 25+ points. With LeBron putting together this type of performance, Los Angeles will have a good chance of winning back-to-back games on the road.

1. Lakers-Warriors Game 2 action will go to overtime

Game 1 between these two teams was a tightly contested affair. Just like during James' days with the Cleveland Cavaliers and their matchups against Golden State in the NBA Finals, the contest was a close one that only decided in the final minutes of the action.

According to FanDuel, the Warriors are the favorites to win Game 2 and tie the series 1-1. Currently, the spread is set at -5.5 in Golden State's favor, which is the second-largest among games with the odds already announced, trailing only the Boston Celtics, who are favored by -7.5 for their Game 2 contest against the Philadelphia 76ers.

All things considered, this should be another thriller in San Francisco. Expect Game 2 to be another close one, but this time it will require overtime to find a winner. With overtime in the cards, this could end up becoming one of the best games in the 2023 NBA Playoffs.