All about the All-Star Game tickets and travel

Attending this year's NBA All-Star Game will cost fans a pretty penny.

What's happening: Ticket prices to this year's game are the second-highest in 14 years, closely following 2018's event, according to data from Vivid Seats.

By the numbers: Sold ticket prices are averaging $2,112 as of Feb. 9.

The top five games in order of average ticket price since 2010 are:

1. 2018 (Los Angeles) — $2,116
2. 2024 (Indianapolis) — $2,112
3. 2020 (Chicago) — $1,325
4. 2023 (Salt Lake City) — $1,324
5. 2019 (Charlotte, N.C.) — $1,288

Thought bubble: Indiana's love of basketball, the meteoric rise of Tyrese Halibutron as a local hero and the fact that Hoosiers had to wait an additional three years to host this year's game because of the pandemic created a perfect storm for 2024's sky high prices, Axios' Justin L. Mack writes.

Yes, but: All-Star weekend flights are cheaper than last year, according to the travel booking platform Hopper.

• Airfare to Indianapolis is averaging $317 per ticket. Last year, airfare to Salt Lake City was $572 per ticket on average.

What they're saying: Hopper's lead economist, Hayley Berg, says last year's airfares were likely driven higher by the high demand for trips to Salt Lake City during ski and snowboard season in February.

What's next: Here's the schedule for NBA All-Star weekend. The game will take place at 8pm Sunday on TNT.