Okay, so, I’ve always been a huge NBA fan, right? And like everyone else, I dream of seeing a game live. But, man, those ticket prices can be brutal. I started wondering, do these prices ever drop closer to the game? So I decided to put it to the test. My target? A Lakers game, because, well, it’s the Lakers!
First, I picked a game a few weeks out. Not a super hyped one, just a regular season game against a mid-tier team. I started tracking the prices on a couple of different ticket resale sites. I made it a daily ritual, checking in the morning, afternoon, and night. Just to see if there were any obvious patterns.
The prices were high initially, as you’d expect. I mean, it’s an NBA game. I kept my eye on them, day in and day out. Mostly, they stayed pretty steady. Some days they’d go up a bit, some days down, but nothing drastic.
- Day 1: Average price around $250 for decent seats.
- Day 7: Prices fluctuating, some seats even went up to $280!
- Day 14: Still hovering around $250, no big changes.
Then, bam! About three days before the game, I started noticing a dip. Not a huge one, but enough to make me think, “Hmm, maybe there’s something to this.” I kept checking religiously. Two days out, even lower. One day out, they were still dropping, although not by much.
The morning of the game, I was fully committed to my experiment. I refreshed those ticket sites like my life depended on it. And guess what? The prices were definitely lower than they were a few weeks ago. Not by half or anything, but maybe 20-30% lower. Score!
The Moment of Truth
I decided to pull the trigger a few hours before tip-off. I snagged a couple of tickets for around $180 each. Not a steal, but definitely better than the $250 I was seeing initially. I rushed to the stadium, heart pounding with excitement and, let’s be honest, a bit of anxiety about whether my last-minute gamble had paid off.
It totally did! We got in, the seats were great, and the game was awesome. I learned that day that patience, at least with NBA tickets, can pay off. It’s not a guarantee, but if you’re flexible and willing to wait it out, you might just save some cash. Keep in mind, though, it’s a bit of a gamble. You could end up with no tickets at all. But for me, this time, the risk was definitely worth the reward. It makes you think, maybe this is the way to go for other things too! Not a bad way to watch a game.
