With under 90 miles between home courts, proximity is unquestionably driving a red-hot ticket market for the the Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings first round NBA Playoffs matchup this weekend. The I-80 series between the defending league champions and their slightly inland neighbors to the northeast is seeing sky-high prices, relative to both other first round matchups and historical averages for the first round, according to ticket resale marketplace Ticket Club.
For Saturday’s first game at Golden 1 Center, the lowest ticket available on the resale marketplace – which typically features lower prices for its members by eliminating service fees – are $397 per seat for a pair in Section 222, Row P. The lowest price point for a lower level seat on Saturday is $618 including fees, with seats on the floor unattainable for less than $5,001 as of Friday afternoon. The average ticket price sold for the game on the resale marketplace is a stunning $765, almost double the average price paid for the second-hottest ticket in the first round for the Lakers at Memphis.
“Any time you get two franchises in such close proximity playing each other in a series like this, the prices are going to be higher because there’s just that much more competition for the tickets,” says Sean Burns, a spokesperson for Ticket Club. “The fact that you’ve got an enormously popular team like Golden State coming in as the underdog makes it all the more attractive for fans to see in person, which is being reflected in the price fans are willing to pay to get their seats.”
The Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings will take their rivalry to a new level in the NBA playoffs, a meeting that in past years seemed inconceivable. https://t.co/E1w2NA7Sh7
— San Francisco Chronicle (@sfchronicle) April 14, 2023
Memphis vs. the Lakers is the other hottest ticket for the opening weekend of playoffs action, with the Lebron James-led team punching its ticket in a winner-take all play-in tournament victory this week, helping surge the market in Tennessee. Fans have paid an average of $409 for tickets to Saturday’s Game 1 of the series, but the “get-in” price is a relatively affordable $127. That figure is actually below the minimum asking price for the Atlanta at Boston Celtics series opener on Saturday, which is $132 (thought the median asking price for Memphis tickets is more than double the ask at TD Garden).
Two playoffs series set to tip off Sunday are still awaiting their final pairings, as the Timberwolves and Thunder play tonight to determine who advances to take on the top seeded Denver Nuggets Sunday and the Bulls and Heat face off with a trip to No. 1 seed Milwaukee awaiting.
The full slate of games is below, including links to Ticket Club for each contest. TV times for the weekend action are also included below, as are links to other resale marketplaces for those who wish to shop around.
NBA Playoffs Ticket Price Trends
Prices on Ticket Club for members as of Friday afternoon. TicketNews readers can get a free 1-year membership here
| SATURDAY | Get In | Median | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brooklyn Nets at Philadelphia 76ers | $74 | $275 | $5,282 |
| Atlanta Hawks at Boston Celtics | $132 | $266 | $3,322 |
| Golden State Warriors at Sacramento Kings | $397 | $990 | $8,119 |
| New York Knicks at Cleveland Cavaliers | $74 | $152 | $1,761 |
| SUNDAY | Get In | Median | High |
| Los Angeles Lakers at Memphis Grizzlies | $127 | $612 | $5,088 |
| Bulls/Heat vs. Milwaukee Bucks | $73 | $211 | $5,044 |
| Los Angeles Clippers at Phoenix Suns | $123 | $391 | $7,465 |
| Timberwolves/Thunder at Denver Nuggets | $62 | $205 | $6,466 |
Ticket Links
NBA Playoffs tickets at MEGASeats | 10% off use code TICKETNEWS
NBA Playoffs tickets at ScoreBig
NBA Playoffs tickets at SeatGeek
NBA Playoffs tickets at StubHub
NBA Playoffs tickets at Ticket Club | Free membership use code TICKETNEWS
NBA Playoffs tickets at Vivid Seats
NBA Playoffs First Round Schedule, TV
EASTERN CONFERENCE
No. 1 Milwaukee Bucks vs. No. 8 East
Game 1, Sunday: East 8 at Milwaukee, 5:30 p.m. ET, Sunday, TNT
Game 2, April 19: East 8 at Milwaukee, 9 p.m., ET, NBA TV
Game 3, April 22: Milwaukee at East 8, 7:30 p.m. ET, time and TV TBD
Game 4, April 24: Milwaukee at East 8, time and TV TBD
Game 5, April 26: East 8 at Milwaukee, time and TV TBD
Game 6, April 28: Milwaukee at East 8, time and TV TBD
Game 7, April 30: East 8 at Milwaukee, time and TV TBD
No. 2 Boston Celtics vs. No. 7 Atlanta Hawks
Game 1, Saturday: Atlanta at Boston, 3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
Game 2, Tuesday: Atlanta at Boston, 7 p.m. ET, NBA TV
Game 3, April 21: Boston at Atlanta, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN
Game 4, April 23: Boston at Atlanta, 7 p.m. ET, TNT
Game 5, April 25: Atlanta at Boston, time and TV TBD
Game 6, April 27: Boston at Atlanta, time and TV TBD
Game 7, April 29: Atlanta at Boston, time TBD, TNT
No. 3 Philadelphia 76ers vs. No. 6 Brooklyn Nets
Game 1, Saturday: Brooklyn at Philadelphia, 1 p.m. ET, ESPN
Game 2, Monday: Brooklyn at Philadelphia, 7:30 p.m., TNT
Game 3, April 20: Philadelphia at Brooklyn, 7:30 p.m., TNT
Game 4, April 22: Philadelphia at Brooklyn, 1 p.m. ET, TNT
Game 5, April 24: Brooklyn at Philadelphia, time and TV TBD
Game 6, April 27: Philadelphia at Brooklyn, time and TV TBD
Game 7, April 29: Brooklyn at Philadelphia, time TBD, TNT
No. 4 Cleveland Cavaliers vs. No. 5 New York Knicks
Game 1, Saturday: New York at Cleveland, 6 p.m. ET, ESPN
Game 2, Tuesday: New York at Cleveland, 7:30 p.m. ET, TNT
Game 3, April 21: Cleveland at New York, 8:30 p.m. ET, ABC
Game 4, April 23: Cleveland at New York, 1 p.m. ET, ABC
Game 5, April 26: New York at Cleveland, time and TV TBD
Game 6, April 28: Cleveland at New York, time and TV TBD
Game 7, April 30: New York at Cleveland, time and TV TBD
WESTERN CONFERENCE
No. 1 Denver Nuggets vs. No. 8 West
Game 1, Sunday: West 8 at Denver, 10:30 p.m. ET, TNT
Game 2, Wednesday: West 8 at Denver, 10 p.m. ET, TNT
Game 3, April 21: Denver at West 8, 9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
Game 4, April 23: Denver at West 8, 9:30 p.m. ET, TNT
Game 5, April 25: West 8 at Denver, time and TV TBD
Game 6, April 27: Denver at West 8, time and TV TBD
Game 7, April 29: West 8 at Denver, time TBD, TNT
No. 2 Memphis Grizzlies vs. No. 7 Los Angeles Lakers
Game 1, Sunday: Los Angeles at Memphis, 3 p.m. ET, ABC
Game 2, April 19: Los Angeles at Memphis, 7:30 p.m. ET, TNT
Game 3, April 22: Memphis at Los Angeles, 10 p.m. ET, TNT
Game 4, April 24: Memphis at Los Angeles, time and TV TBD
Game 5, April 26: Los Angeles at Memphis, time and TV TBD
Game 6, April 28: Memphis at Los Angeles, time and TV TBD
Game 7, April 30: Los Angeles at Memphis, time and TV TBD
No. 3 Sacramento Kings vs. No. 6 Golden State Warriors
Game 1, Saturday: Golden State at Sacramento, 8:30 p.m. ET, ABC
Game 2, Monday: Golden State at Sacramento, 10 p.m. ET, TNT
Game 3, April 20: Sacramento at Golden State, 10 p.m. ET, TNT
Game 4, April 23: Sacramento at Golden State, 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC
Game 5, April 26: Golden State at Sacramento, time and TV TBD
Game 6, April 28: Sacramento at Golden State, time and TV TBD
Game 7, April 30: Golden State at Sacramento, time and TV TBD
No. 4 Phoenix Suns vs. No. 5 Los Angeles Clippers
Game 1, Sunday: Los Angeles at Phoenix, 8 p.m. ET, TNT
Game 2, Tuesday: Los Angeles at Phoenix, 10 p.m. ET, TNT
Game 3, April 20: Phoenix at Los Angeles, 10:30 p.m. ET, NBA TV
Game 4, April 22: Phoenix at Los Angeles, 3:30 p.m. ET, TNT
Game 5, April 25: Los Angeles at Phoenix, time and TV TBD
Game 6, April 27: Phoenix at Los Angeles, time and TV TBD
Game 7, April 29: Los Angeles at Phoenix, time TBD, TNT