Monday's slate provides plenty of opportunity for bettors looking to start the week in the positive. Matchups with high stakes in the NBA and NHL take center stage as the postseason nears in both sports. Here are tonight’s best bets brought to you by BetOnline.ag. Click here to join. All new players get a 50% welcome bonus and up to $250 in free bets.

First Pick: Over 225.5 Points

Rundown: The white-hot Los Angeles Lakers (42-25) carry a five-game winning streak into a pivotal Western Conference matchup against the Houston Rockets (41-25) at Toyota Center.

Los Angeles enters the contest clicking on all cylinders, winning eight of the last nine games – including a thrilling 127-125 overtime win over the Denver Nuggets to wrap up a perfect home stand. Luka Doncic's game-winning jumper with 0.5 seconds remaining in overtime capped off one of the best wins of the series for a Lakers team looking to solidify themselves as contenders in a top-heavy Western Conference.

Houston looks for a second consecutive win after defeating the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday. At age 37, Kevin Durant continues to be a top scorer in the league – averaging 26 points per game in 63 games this season. These teams have featured two quality offenses this season, combining to average 230.6 PPG with Los Angeles edging out Houston 116.5 to 114.1.

With two efficient offenses colliding in a high-stakes conference matchup, expect the intensity to be high – leading to projected total being cleared.

Second Pick: Los Angeles Kings Moneyline

Rundown: The New York Rangers (28-30-8) ride a four-game winning streak as they play host to the Los Angeles Kings (27-24-15) in a cross-conference matchup from Madison Square Garden.

Despite sitting in the basement of the Eastern Conference, New York heads into the matchup playing its best hockey of the season – outscoring opponents 20-7 during the four game stretch. In his 10th season with the Rangers, Mika Zibanejad continues to pave the way offensively as he leads the team in goals (27) and assists (35) this season.

Los Angeles comes into play looking to rebound from a 6-4 loss to New Jersey, a game that saw Anze Kopitar become the all-time leading scorer in the history of the Kings' franchise. In what will be his 20th and final season in Black and Silver, Kopitar continues to be a reliable presence on both ends of the ice, leading the team in plus/minus (14). Playing away from home ice has yet to prove problematic for LA, owning a 17-9-8 record away from Crypto.com Arena this season.

With Los Angeles needing a victory to maintain pace in the chase for a wild card spot, a road victory is essential. Expect the Kings to come out of the gates aggressive and do enough to halt New York's winning streak.

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LOS ANGELES LAKERS

The Forum Club

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