Cavaliers Aren't Only Matchup Bringing Big Prices For Lakers Tickets

Two of the NBA’s best will be facing off for the last time in Los Angeles on Thursday night. One is still in his prime and the other is well past it, but that won’t stop the anticipation for the final matchup of LeBron James and Kobe Bryant. The Cleveland Cavaliers will head to Staples Center to take on the Los Angeles Lakers in the second game of a four-game West Coast swing for the Cavs.

Cleveland has clearly been the better team of the two -- a 45-18 record places them atop the Eastern Conference -- but due to Bryant’s looming retirement, the Lakers continue to be a big draw both home and on the road as fans want their last glimpse of the aging superstar. On the secondary market the average price for Cavs-Lakers tickets is $456.13, which is only the fifth most expensive Lakers game remaining at Staples Center. There will be big prices to be paid for Bryant’s final games in LA regardless of the team sitting at the bottom of the Western Conference by 3.5 games.

Clearly the most expensive Lakers game will be the season finale against the Utah Jazz on April 13. However the $2,017.80 is a vast outlier for home Lakers games left on the schedule. The second most expensive game comes on April 3 against the Boston Celtics with an average price of $621.66. Four home Lakers games rank among the top-15 most expensive games remaining in the NBA regular season. No game at Staples Center currently has an average price below $300 and the cheapest ticket for any of the 11 games left is $80.

Games against the Los Angeles Clippers and Miami Heat are also more expensive than Thursday night’s matchup against the Cavaliers, as both have an average price over $500. Below are the prices for remaining Lakers home games at Staples Center.