December 11, 2014
The Oklahoma City Thunder got off to rocky start this season thanks to their two superstars being out of the starting lineup due to injuries that has Oklahoma City trying to dig themselves out of a hole and back in the playoff hunt in the Western Conference. Thunder tickets on the secondary market plummeted in asking average price due to the absence of their two superstar players, but Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant are now back into the starting lineup and both players seem to not have lost a step after being out and the Thunder have won four of their last five games since Westbrook returned to the team against the Knicks on November 28.
Thunder tickets for their remaining home games have an average price of $189.70 in the secondary market, down 6.3% from OKC’s home average from last year which had a secondary average price of $202.57. In the Thunder’s first nine home game of the season, tickets were down 46.7% compared to their current home average with tickets to their first nine home games at an asking average price of $101.05.
Oklahoma’s cheapest game during that stretch was when they hosted the Sacramento Kings on November 9 as tickets had an average price of $78.57 on the secondary market. Their last game without Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant in the starting lineup was against the Utah Jazz on November 26 and tickets had an asking average price of $90.90 in the secondary market. Thunder tickets jumped 47.5 percent for their next home game against the New York Knicks at an average price of $133.67 for Westbrook’s first game back from a hand injury.
Kevin Durant made his anticipated return to the starting lineup on December 2 against the New Orleans Pelicans, which resulted in a loss on the road. In Durant’s first home game of the season, ticket prices dropped at an average price of $115.10 which had to do with their opponent than anything else as the Thunder soundly defeated the Milwaukee Bucks.
Now that reigning NBA MVP Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook are playing and healthy, Thunder tickets are beginning to rebound as over the remaining home games on the OKC schedule, there is not one game that will have an asking average price of less than $100 and 10 of their remaining home games have an average price over $200. Overall, the season average for Thunder tickets is up 17% since the return of the team's top two players.
The most expensive home game this season will be when the defending NBA champion San Antonio Spurs visit the Chesapeake Energy Arena to take on the Thunder. Tickets have a current average price of $299.15 on the secondary market.
