The National Basketball Association’s play-in tournament games kick-off this weekend, and those hoping to catch the action in-person can find some deals in both New Orleans and Philadelphia.
The top seeds Boston in the East and Oklahoma City in the West are waiting to battle it out with the play-in runner-up. Additionally, New York and Denver will face-off play-in tournament veterans, taking-on the 7th/8th place contest in their respective series.
While the play-in tournament games are seeing a high premium this week, the secondary ticket marketplace Ticket Club — where members enjoy no-service fees on tickets — found that fans can snag the cheapest NBA play-in tournament tickets in New Orleans and Philadelphia. The Pelicans-Lakers game is going for $130 on the ticketing site, while the Heat vs. 76ers game has tickets listed just above $137. Over in Philadelphia, the least expensive ticket as of Monday afternoon is just $46.
Ticket Club found that the most sought-after ticket is in California. The showdown between Golden State and Sacramento is heating-up, with a median asking price on the ticketing site going for $362. If the Lakers host either of those teams in the second play-in round, Ticket Club said these would be the most expensive play-in round tickets — with a median asking price close to $600.
The final four teams in each conference will duke it out for the 7th and 8th spots in the conference quarterfinal round, while the remaining six teams will begin to play this coming weekend. According to Ticket Club, these ticket prices are lingering around a similar range, with the Phoenix Suns vs. Minnesota Timberwolves game tickets priced as low as $71 and averaging $156. On the other hand, the Knicks-Miami game tickets are currently up-for-grabs for a whopping $667.
“It’s clear that fans are excited for the NBA playoffs, and the play-in games have proven to be a big draw in the short time since they were introduced to spice up the format a few years ago,” Ticket Club spokesperson Sean Burns said. “Whether you’re trying to score tickets to one of this week’s elimination games or looking for one of the high-demand contests for the upcoming first round awaiting its final two seats in each conference, there’s tickets to be found and money to be saved for members at Ticket Club.”
Find the full ticket price ranges and median prices for all NBA play-in and first-round playoff opening games via Ticket Club here.