Hi,

My husband, 2 sons aged 9 and 10 and I, are travelling from Australia to California in January 2015. I would like to take my family to an NBA game, and as the Lakers are the main? LA team, i thought they would be the most likely team to see.

My questions are:
Can I buy one-off game tickets (we are in LA from Jan 15 -21)?
Where do you buy them from?
When are the tickets released as I don't even know if they are playing during those dates.

Any advice would be wonderful.

Thank you,
Kym

Go to the official website of the team. It will provide a schedule as soon as the league releases it so you can check on game dates You can also buy tickets there - and yes one-off tickets are available although usually the best tickets are sold for the whole season.

Personally, I would much rather see the LA Clippers or Golden State Warriors.

You won't be able to buy tickets yet. You can buy them on www.stubhub.com Tickets will probably be available in October. If your just going to LA, it's very likely Clippers or Lakers would be playing during that time.

If you don't know much about basketball, Lakers are probably the most well-known team in general. However, they are neaerly at the bottom this past year and next year isn't looking much better, IMOP. That said, you never know how things play out from season to season.

My first choice would be to wait until the game is almost ready to start and buy tickets from one of the many "ticket scalpers" hanging around the arena. They realize that time is running out and all they have in their hand is a piece of paper which will become garbage if they don't sell it. Not basketball but that's how we got some wonderful club area seats for American football games at under the face value. I also got some great tickets for Manchester United matches by playing this game, being patient and waiting just before the match was about to start.

Next choice would be as stated above. Go to the Lakers official site and find out when individual tickets go on sale. If you get lucky the ticket prices will be at face value (plus a little service charge).

Finally Stubhub, but you'll pay for that. They are marked up, usually 100% or possibly more but if you want to have the security of having the tickets then..................

Sales on the website are for face value of the ticket. Stub hub is a reseller and often sells tickets at much higher rates - based on demand. Buying tickets outside the stadium at game time is risky (some tickets are scams) and also illegal.

Stubhub also will have tickets for lower prices as the fate of the team lowers and/or the time gets closer to the game and tickets haven't sold.

Lakers are history - old and slow now - as is their often injured superstar - Kobe Bryant.

Clippers are young and exciting, Blake Griffin being a highlight film all to himself - and Golden State Warriors in San Francisco/Oakland have two of the best young shooters in the game, especially Stephen Curry.

BTW - the Clippers also play in the Forum - downtown LA - where the Lakers play.

>>BTW - the Clippers also play in the Forum - downtown LA - where the Lakers play.

Buying tickets outside the stadium at game time is risky (some tickets are scams) and also illegal.

well, I bought many tickets to many events outside the arenas just before the game. Guess what, never got in any trouble and never got scammed.

Just saying.

"well, I bought many tickets to many events outside the arenas just before the game. Guess what, never got in any trouble and never got scammed."

As have, I am certain, MANY others.

I have bought and sold tickets on ebay and outside stadium. I did get burned one time selling them online(somewhat my own fault though).

I buy a lot of OKC Thunder and OU football tickets on stubhuwell 3 or 4 times a year). If you wait until the morning of the game they are often not much more than face value. I paid $70 for one game of NBA playoffs per ticket(upper seats/end) and $100 for another game(upper/mid-court). For a playoff game, that isn't a bad price at all.

Both the Clippers and Lakers play in Staples Center.

I did see a sting operation one time at an OU football game and they were arresting people for selling tickets above face value. I have no idea what the law is in LA. I will say that OKC Thunder games you will see very very few tickets for sale outside. I would suspect this would be the case with Clippers too.

Correction - the Lakers and Clippers both play in the Staples center in downtown LA.

Brilliant. thank you for all your informative replies. I especially needed the information that they don't really go on sale til about October. I have read the site, and not being either a US citizen , or very knowledgable about how to go about it from your point of view, I really just wanted an idea of the options. I will most certainly look at tickets for the Clippers too. We aren't at all fussy about who we go to see, and the Lakers was the team I knew of for LA. It would certainly be more exciting to see a team on the up! So, once agian, thank you very much for all your good advice.
Kym

Again - the Clippers have one of the most exciting players in the game - Blake Griffin -the winner of the slam dunk contest -who jumped over a car to do it.

The Lakers have broken down Kobe Bryant - who is making $24 million year for siting on the bench - injured and not nearly the player he used to be - when and if he plays.

The Lakers owner passed on - and his nitwit son was too proud to hire back the best coach - Phil Jackson - who happens to date nitwit's sister - Jeanne Buss - who used to run things.

Go figure.

Ah - but you significantly don't mention the Clippers owner . . . .

and uh . . . Phil has a new gig.

Who cares about the owner - you are watching a basketball game. Sterling might not even be the owner by that time.

Not impressed with the current Lakers owner/manager either - Jim Buss is it?

And yes, Phil is coaching the team he played with - the Knicks - and didn't hire his golden boy for whatever reason - (claimed that somebody else offered him a lot more - truth or spin?) - but did get a good guy in longtime Laker- Derek Fisher.