How to Buy NBA tickets in Denver

The Denver Nuggets are Colorado's only NBA team and one of the most traditional franchises in the western United States. Champions of the league in 2023, they are frequent play-off entertainers and play their games at Ball Center Stadium, so during your visit to the city you can catch a basketball game for one of the most exciting experiences in this destination.

If you plan to visit Colorado's capital between October and April you can catch NBA regular season games, while between May and June you can catch the play-off games that define the annual champion. Whichever time of year you schedule your tour, seeing the Nuggets live is one of the best things to do in Denver.

NBA games are a tourist spectacle in their own right in the United States, so getting tickets to attend can be tricky, especially if you buy them last minute. However, there are many ways to get tickets, although some of them will require you to book in advance to secure your place in the experience and also to get better prices.

Buy tickets online

Most of the tickets that are not included in the season tickets are sold by the tour operators on their online sales platforms, so this option is one of the most popular and also one of the safest. It also tends to be one of the cheapest available, especially since you can buy tickets in advance.

On the other hand, some tour providers include tickets to Nuggets games in packages along with other activities, so if you plan to participate in some of Denver's best tours, you can combine both experiences and get better rates.

Buy tickets on the official Nuggets website

Another safe and official alternative is to buy tickets on the Nuggets official website, although you should be aware that there you will only find the remaining seats that were not allocated to season tickets, which is the general criteria used by NBA franchises. This is why, in the event that you find tickets, you will generally be able to get the most expensive seats that were not sold out.

Buying tickets from authorised resellers

This is a slightly riskier and usually more expensive alternative, but it is very useful for last minute bookings. Often venues are sold out but there are people who want to resell their tickets, so they put them up for sale on authorised reseller sites that you can access to get tickets. Just check the reputation of the site to make sure it is not a scam.

Buying tickets at the stadium box office

While this option is still available, tickets are rarely available at the Ball Center Stadium box office just before kick-off. However, a last resort option is to try to get tickets at the stadium on the day of the event, which may work for less attractive games but hardly when competitive opponents are playing or during the playoffs.

Ticket prices change, largely because they depend on many circumstances such as the opponent, the NBA season being played, the time of purchase or the performance of the franchise during the year. Ticket prices will also be influenced by the day and time of the game and the location in the arena, with the sectors closest to the floor being the most expensive.

However, as a general rule, you can find tickets from 100 Euros in the peripheral areas of the stadium and other tickets that are well over 900 Euros in locations close to the pitch, which offer a better view. If you want to save on fares, a good alternative is to buy your seats in advance, as prices are usually lower at the beginning of the season.

On the other hand, if you plan to visit Denver with children or a family, you can find some group packages that will allow you to save on multiple ticket purchases.

The types of tickets depend largely on the different locations within the arena. The Nuggets play their games at the Ball Center, which is one of the largest venues in Colorado with a capacity of approximately 20,000 people for basketball games, so it has several different sections, although except for the VIP boxes, none of them offer skip-the-line tickets.

If you're looking for a more exclusive experience, you can opt for the VIP box seats, which offer a separate queue-free ticket and will allow you to make the most of your stay in the city by allowing you to spend less time leaving the stadium and enjoying Denver's best nightlife at the end of the game. These tickets are well over 1,000 euros per seat.

While the Ball Center Stadium is one of Denver's most prominent sites, unlike other venues it does not house a museum nor does it offer guided tours. However, you will be able to see the inside of the stadium during an NBA Nuggets game, but also if you plan to book an ice hockey game of the Colorado Avalanche, which is one of the most popular NHL franchises.

On the other hand, the Ball Center also hosts music concerts that have featured artists such as AC/DC and Ozzy Osbourne and other sporting events, most notably the NBA All-Star Game and the NHL All-Star Game. In any case, at all these events you will be able to see the stadium and its interior.

There are no discounted tickets on the Nuggets NBA schedule. However, the rates for events in the United States always fluctuate and depend on the context, so there are some strategies you can apply to get better rates when buying tickets. Here are a few.

Buy tickets for lower-demand games

During the regular NBA schedule each franchise plays 82 games, but not all of them are equally important, so a good alternative to get cheap tickets is to attend a game with a lower demand. These include games that pit the Nuggets against lesser rivals or games at the start of the season.

Buy tickets for midweek games

The NBA schedule is very demanding and includes games not only on Saturdays and Sundays, but also on weekdays. As a general rule, games played on weekdays have lower attendance and you will be able to get tickets more easily and at a better price, especially if it's not a defining game either .

Also, if you plan to visit Denver during the winter, which is a time of snowfall and cold weather in the city, often with temperatures below freezing, you will also be able to get cheap tickets, as weather conditions often have an impact on attendance.

Buy tickets in upper or side seats

If you want to experience the atmosphere of an NBA game and you are not particularly interested in the view of the playing field, an ideal alternative to get tickets at a good price is to opt for the upper or side seats. This will allow you to buy tickets at an affordable price and still experience the atmosphere generated by the crowd during the game.

The NBA does not provide special treatment for children and leaves the decision up to each franchise. In the case of the Nuggets, children under the age of 2 accompanied by a responsible adult can enter for free, although they must sit on the adult's lap and cannot occupy a seat. This is the rule in most NBA arenas.

On the other hand, if you plan to visit Denver during the summer, which coincides with the final stages of the NBA and also with the school holidays, you will be able to find activities focused on children during the breaks .

As a general rule, it is very difficult to get tickets at the arena box office on game days in the NBA, so buying tickets in advance online can make the difference between attending or not attending a basketball game in Denver.

Also, keep in mind that buying tickets in advance can save you time, as you won't have to wait in long lines at the box office or wait for a last-minute seat to become available at authorised resale sites. Buying tickets in advance will also allow you to organise an itinerary and combine the experience with some of Denver's best tours.

Alternatively, if you book in advance through a tour provider, in many cases you can also get discounts on the most popular tours from Denver or other popular activities in and around the city, such as a visit to Rocky Mountain National Park.

The NBA applies different rules to FIBA, so the games have a total duration of 48 minutes, which are divided into four quarters of 12 minutes each. However, you should consider that the playing time is usually longer, because you will have to add the minutes of rest between each of the halves, commercial breaks, time-outs that stop the clock and half-time shows.

On the other hand, in basketball there is no tie as a possible outcome, so in the event of a tie at the end of regular time, games are settled in successive overtimes of five minutes each until there is a winner. This is why, on average, an NBA game can last between 2.5 and 3 hours.

The NBA calendar stipulates a regular season that runs from October to April. During this time, each franchise plays 82 games to qualify for the finals, which are played between May and June and define both the conference champions and the league champions.

That's why, if you plan to visit Denver in October, you can attend the opening games of the regular season, although if you want to see a game of the most competitive teams , the best time is between the months of May and June.

Ball Center Stadium can be reached from anywhere in the city by buses on the 15, 15L, 20, 40 and 43 lines and light rail on the E and W lines. In addition, the Ball Center's location is in close proximity to other Denver attractions, such as the Downtown Aquarium and the Marsico Campus Children's Museum, so you can easily combine a tour of the area with attending an NBA game.

On the other hand, if you plan to drive to the arena, you can do so from downtown Denver in a 15-minute drive along E23rd Avenue. If you opt for this mode of transport you should be aware that there are few parking areas around the arena.

NBA games offer much more than just a sporting competition and provide a complete experience, including half-time shows and the warmth of the fans in the stands. That's why to enjoy this show I advise you to follow some recommendations.

Don't delay your arrival at the stadium

NBA games are usually crowded, which generates congestion around the stadium and some delays at the entrance to the stadiums. That's why if you are planning to buy tickets to watch the Nuggets in the NBA, I advise you to avoid arriving too early on game day so you don't miss the pregame shows.

Taste the food from the food carts

Tasting the food in the arena during an NBA game is an experience in itself. From burgers and nachos to vegetarian options, you'll find something for everyone and can enjoy the game while exploring the local cuisine. Just try to do your shopping at halftime to make sure you don't miss any of the action.

Come and experience NBA fever!

If you get tickets to an NBA game you should consider yourself lucky and one of the best ways to celebrate is to take part in fan traditions. Paint your face in the team colours, get the jersey, sing at the halftime shows and celebrate every basket as if it were your last. This will allow you to experience the basketball fever in North America and be part of the NBA show.