NBA 2022-23’s opening night face-off between the Golden State Warriors and the Los Angeles Lakers is officially the most expensive regular season NBA contest of all time. Taking first place was the late Kobe Bryant’s final game in 2016.
This will be the second year in a row where both teams take each other on in their season openers. The last one resulted in the Warriors notching up a 121-114 win at the Crypto.com Arena.
According to TickPick, the no-fee secondary ticket marketplace, the average ticket price of $897 is the closest to Bryant’s, which had an average purchase price of $1,137.
The Warriors-Lakers game on October 18 is the second most expensive regular season NBA game of all-time, according to @TickPick. The average purchase price is $897. The only game more expensive was Kobe Bryant’s last game in 2016, which had an average purchase price of $1,137.
— Arash Markazi (@ArashMarkazi) October 1, 2022
The latest season sees an upgraded Lakers roster take on the defending champions at Chase Center. For Warriors fans, there are more than enough reasons starting with the fact that they will witness a pre-game ring ceremony.
Add to this the fact that Klay Thompson will play his first opening night skirmish after 2018, and the epic LeBron James vs. Stephen Curry showdown.
Both Lakers And Warriors Have A Point To Prove In The Upcoming Season
With ESPN’s regular-season projections listing the Warriors as the eighth seed with 41.9 wins and the Lakers at ninth with just 36 victories, the star-studded sides will look to make their case that they are better than what’s penciled for them in the new season.
Most notably the Lakers, who failed to make the postseason last year with a 33-49 record. They were eliminated in the first round against the Phoenix Suns the year prior.
The Warriors were a better unit winning 53 games in the regular season, and then beating the Denver Nuggets, Memphis Grizzlies, Dallas Nuggets, and finally, the Boston Celtics to win their seventh championship.
It’s all set to go down on October 18 when the two teams meet after a preseason clash. Will Golden State continue its good run or will Los Angeles draw first blood? Only time will tell. What we do know is it will be worth every penny.
