Hornets tickets are the cheapest in the league

A family will spend, on average, $158.72 at a Hornets game for four of the cheapest available tickets, a parking spot, two beers, two sodas and four hot dogs, according to Bookies.com.

• Bookies.com calculated the cost of attending an NBA game in each market using the cheapest available ticket for home games in December and January on Ticketmaster.

Why it matters: Last year, Hornets tickets were practically being given away, re-selling for as low as $1. Now, Hornets fans are eager to return to the playoffs, somewhere they haven’t been since the 2015-16 season, Axios’ Ashley Mahoney writes.

[Go deeper: Everything you need to know before the Charlotte Hornets’ season]



Data: Bookies.com; Table: Axios Visuals

By the numbers: The average cost across the league is $304.64.

• Since last season, the total cost per game rose $16.26, a 5.3% increase.
• The New York Knicks’ games are the priciest to see this winter at $745.18, according to Bookies.com.

Yes, but: No Lakers road games or Christmas Day games are included to avoid a skewed average.

The Portland Trail Blazers vs. the Milwaukee Bucks game in Oregon Jan. 31 is also omitted due to the highly anticipated return of Damian Lillard.

Flashback: The Hornets season is underway amid a busy off season. Earlier this year, Michael Jordan sold his majority stake in the team.

• Eric Church and fellow North Carolinian J. Cole are among the 20 new owners of the Hornets.
• In June, Hornets drafted Brandon Miller, a 6-9 forward from the University of Alabama, No. 2 overall.