Washington Wizards

It’s the most wonderful time of the year. It’s basketball season, and it’s a lot cheaper to see your favorite NBA team in action at the Verizon Center than you think.

For those of you who, like me, love watching basketball — college or professional — finding an NBA ticket for under $7 probably sounds like a dream come true. The Wizards may not be near the top (half) of the rankings so far, but if you pick your ticket wisely you can still catch a great game for an even better price.

To find tickets for games coming up, check sites like StubHub or Ticketmaster instead of the team’s or the NBA’s official websites. You’ll find better deals on those consumer-run sites and they are much easier to navigate.

Over the next two weeks the Wizards play at home five times: facing off against the Los Angeles Lakers tonight, the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday and the Orlando Magic on Monday, to name a few. Tickets on StubHub range from $5 to $25 on average, depending on the day and the visiting team, but expect prices to rise as the games get closer.

Most games start at 7 p.m. so if you want to avoid paying an arm and a leg for a bite to eat at the center, you should stop for food before hand. Luckily, the Verizon Center is in the middle of Chinatown, so it’s surrounded by plenty of fun and adventurous ethnic restaurants as well as other places for more classic cuisine. Check out my post on Chinatown restaurants, including Daikaya, for some good ideas.

To get to the Verizon Center, take the 104 metro bus from Stamp to the College Park Metro station and board a Green line train toward Branch Avenue. Exit at the Gallery Place/Chinatown station. The one-way trip should take about 25 minutes and cost $3.85 with your SmarTrip card during rush-hour.