How to Buy Tickets for an NBA Game in Toronto

Toronto is one of Canada's sporting capitals and this is largely due to the Maple Leafs' success in the NHL, but also to the Raptors' strong NBA campaigns. As frequent entertainers of the best basketball league in the world, they hold the status of being the only non-U.S. team to be crowned champions and are currently the only foreign franchise in the organization.

If you plan to visit Ontario's capital city between October and April, you can attend NBA regular season games, and between May and June, you can watch the playoffs. In any case, attending a Raptors game is one of the best things to do in Toronto. Here's everything you need to know to enjoy this fascinating experience.

The NBA is one of the most attended sports spectacles in the world and, consequently, buying tickets for the league's games can be an odyssey. However, there are several ways to get tickets, although each of them has its particularities and different difficulties.

Buy tickets on the Raptors' official website.

This is the conventional option, although you can hardly find tickets on the Raptors' official website. The NBA has a season ticket-based preseason sales system, so seats are sold at the start for every game of the year. If there are leftover seats, the franchise markets them online, although tickets are not usually offered for sale, except for the remainder of the most expensive seats.

Buying tickets on online sales platforms

Tourist service providers are usually the ones in charge of selling most of the tickets for the matches, so buying tickets on online sales platforms is usually the most advisable and also the safest option. On these platforms, generally, you will be able to get seats for all sectors of the stadium and also get discounts by combining several experiences in the city. You should only check the seller's reputation.

Buy tickets from authorized resellers

The last minute alternative may be to buy tickets from authorized resellers, although you should be aware that this is a risky option. In this case you should carefully check the seller's reputation, make the transaction through specialized pages and take into account that, in general, prices will be higher. It can be useful to get adjacent seats if you buy at the last minute, especially if you plan to visit Toronto with children or family.

Buying tickets at the stadium box office

This analog option is still available at NBA arenas, although tickets for games are rarely on sale at the box office, as they tend to sell out in advance. Moreover, it is an alternative that will waste your time in long lines, that will not assure you to attend the games and that will force you to accept the seats offered to you, whatever they may be. Not recommended, but first of all, it can give you last minute hope.

Prices are as varied as the alternatives that determine them, as ticket costs will depend on the seating location, the Raptors' opponent, the NBA instance being played and even the date and time of the game. In the league, as in other entertainment, prices are dynamic and determined by supply and demand, so it is difficult to establish a fixed rate.

However, as a general rule, in the NBA you can get tickets from 30 euros in peripheral locations, while the sectors close to the parquet can be well over 900 euros. There are also VIP sectors above 1,000 euros per ticket, although it is difficult to get a seat in these locations unless you plan to visit Toronto in January or during the off-season.

Also keep in mind that playoff games tend to cost more than regular season games, where you will have a better chance of getting cheap tickets, as long as you don't mind watching the game from the farthest sections.

The different types of tickets depend on the chosen location. The Raptors play their games at the Air Canada Centre, one of Toronto's most famous multi-purpose stadiums, where the Maple Leafs, the city's NHL team, also play, and because of its size it offers many different seats.

The cheapest tickets are those that offer seats in the higher parts of the stadium, away from the playing field and with an open but swooping view. If you opt for tickets in locations closer to the parquet you will see increased costs, although, it is fair to say, the experience will improve substantially, especially for the proximity you will have with the real protagonists, the players.

The only locations at the Air Canada Centre that have a separate entrance from the rest of the stadium are those belonging to the VIP sector, which is located right next to the playing field and entitles buyers to enter without queuing.

On game days the Air Canada Centre is closed to the general public, so you will not be able to visit it under those circumstances, but you will be able to see it outside the sports calendar. In that case you should enter the official website of the stadium and hire a guided tour to know the interior, the stands, the locker rooms and also learn about the construction and the importance of this enclosure in Toronto.

Another alternative to get to know the interior of this multipurpose stadium is to attend one of the musical concerts that are frequently organized there. Artists such as Lady Gaga, U2 and Oasis, among others, have performed at the Air Canada Centre.

Note that you can also visit the stadium if you plan to attend an NHL ice hockey game of the Maple Leafs, the local team that is also one of the league's all-time winners.

There are no discounted tickets to watch a Raptors NBA game, although since rates are dynamic and depend on supply and demand, there are a few strategies you can follow to get better prices on seats to an NBA game in Toronto.

Buy tickets for games with lower demand

If what you really want to know is the spirit of the crowd during the NBA sports spectacle, then you won't mind attending a lesser game on the Raptors schedule. This may consist of a game against a team that is not a direct rival in the playoff standings or it may coincide with a bad moment for the franchise, a circumstance in which the crowd's depletion becomes evident.

Buy tickets for games during the week

This strategy can be ideal, especially if you plan to visit Toronto for 3 days or even less, and need to find cheap tickets on a specific date that coincides with your busy schedule. Outside of the weekend tickets are cheaper, especially if the games do not start in the evening but are played at dusk.

Buy tickets in upper or side seats

This strategy usually works to get cheap tickets, especially in stadiums as large as the Air Canada Centre, where the differences between locations are notorious. If you have no problem watching the game from the highest seats or from the sides, where the view is usually reduced, you can get cheaper tickets, even in last minute purchases.

The NBA's policy regarding children's tickets varies widely and depends on each franchise. As a general rule, children under 2 years of age who enter the stadium accompanied by an adult do not pay admission, but above that age the criteria is very broad.

However, since attending an NBA game is one of the best things to do with children in Toronto, many tour service providers offer adjoining seats for family groups at discounted prices. This will allow you to enjoy the game with your family and save money.

Keep in mind that if you buy tickets in advance online you will get better prices than if you book at the last minute and once you are in the city. Also consider that if you plan to visit Toronto in the summer, a time that coincides with the NBA Finals, the demand increases substantially due to the high season.

The main answer is that in the NBA it is very difficult for you to get tickets at the box office. While the tradition of offering remaining tickets before the start of the game is maintained, usually the seats for all games are sold out in advance, so if you opt for this alternative you will have a great chance of being locked out of the stadium.

However, even if tickets are available at the box office, this method will waste a lot of time, you will have to wait in long lines and, since prices are dynamic, it will be more expensive. If you choose to buy in advance online you will be able to secure your seat, get discounts and enjoy better final rates.

Also, if you book in advance, many tour service providers will offer discounts for other activities in this destination, such as taking part in the best tours of the city, sailing on a cruise excursion on Lake Ontario, or even flying over the city on a helicopter flight over Toronto.

NBA games, which follow their own rules, which are different from those of FIBA, have a total duration of 48 minutes, which are divided into four quarters of 12 minutes each. However, you should keep in mind that the playing time is usually longer, since the net time must be increased by the minutes of rest between quarters, commercial breaks, halftime shows and timeouts.

Also, consider that, in the event of a final tie, games are resolved in overtime that exceeds regulation time, so that on average an NBA game can last between 2.5 and 3 hours. Anyway, attending one of these games is not only worthwhile, but also one of the best things to do at night in Toronto.

In conclusion, keep in mind that it is difficult to determine the exact duration of an NBA game, so I advise you not to make plans that require adjusting times after one of these shows.

The NBA calendar establishes that the regular season is played between October and April. Outside of these months, between May and June the conference champions and league finals are defined, so if you want to attend a Raptors basketball game in Toronto you will have to visit the city during that range of months.

However, the franchises usually organize preseason and postseason games, so even in other months of the year you could get lucky and find games of the team, although this is random and depends on the organization each year, without further specifics.

NBA games are a spectacle in themselves, so if you want to enjoy a complete experience, you should consider all the details. Based on that, here are some recommendations that could be useful:

Don't delay your arrival at the stadium

If you finally get tickets for an NBA game, try to arrive early. The Air Canada Centre stadium is very large and a mistake at the entrance gate could cause you to lose 20 or 30 minutes, so you'd better have enough time to solve these unforeseen events and get comfortable in your seat before the opening show starts and the teams take the floor.

Taste the food from the carts

An American tradition is to experience the entire show, food included. You won't have immersed yourself in the NBA experience until you've tried the culinary options offered at the concession stands on game days, which often range from burgers and fries to gourmet options.

Experience NBA Fever

If you attend a Raptors game, don't be shy! Wear their colors, paint your face, sing at the halftime shows and celebrate every point as if it were the final one. This will allow you to enter into the passionate atmosphere generated by basketball in North America and participate in the communion generated by the inexplicable NBA show.