You’d think now that Thanksgiving and the subsequent shopping sprees like Black Friday and Cyber Monday are in the past, all of the great deals are surely gone.
Not true! At Rukkus, you can find great prices on tickets no matter what time of year it is. I’ve taken the liberty of looking through the marketplace and discovered phenomenal deals to see some of the best players in the NBA for $20 or less. You can see All-Stars, all-time greats and some of the best young players in the league on the cheap when you know where to look. Here are the 5 of the best NBA players you can see this weekend for $20 or less courtesy of CHARGED.fm.
James Harden, Houston Rockets
I would pay $13 just to see James Harden’s beard. If you’re in Minneapolis, you can do just that on Friday night when the Rockets travel to Minnesota. And you get the added bonus of watching him play against top draft pick Andrew Wiggins.
James Harden is pure, unadulterated offense. When he has the ball, he’s one of the toughest players to stop because of the many ways he can hurt a defense. Right now he’s second in the league in scoring at 25 points a game, and he’s doing it in his usual ways: driving to the rim and earning free throws (league-leading 8.6 makes and 9.6 attempts a game) and making defenses pay for giving him room on the perimeter.
But Harden is more than just a great scorer: he’s a great offensive player. On the season, Harden is leading his team with 6.6 assists a game, 2.6 more than his career average and more than double any other player on the Rockets. Harden does a great job of involving his teammates, especially considering all of the attention he draws when he attacks the paint. He’s also rebounding better than he has in his entire career, averaging 6.1 a game. If those averages hold out, he’d become just the 10th different player in history to average more than 25 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists on a season. Harden’s overall improvements have helped Houston get off to one of the best starts in the NBA, and if you’re in Minneapolis, you can see him and the Rockets take on the Minnesota Timberwolves for just $13 a ticket on Friday, December 5.
Gordon Hayward, Utah Jazz
If you’re in Utah, you can see Gordon Hayward, one of the best young players in the league, take on the Orlando Magic for just $4.
While he’s an unassuming player, Gordon Hayward is quietly turning into one of the most under-appreciated stars in the league. Playing in Utah for the work-in-progress Jazz might have something to do with that, but Hayward’s production is undeniably among the best in the league. Hayward is averaging 19.4 points a game, 5.5 rebounds and 3.7 assists a game. His assist numbers are down, but that’s because he’s becoming more of a focal point for the Jazz scoring the ball.
At -8 and with solid athleticism, Hayward can defend multiple positions and makes exciting plays all over the court. He’s also paired up with point guard Trey Burke to become one of Utah’s go-to options late in games. Here’s what Hayward did to LeBron James and the Cavs earlier this season:
Cold-blooded. He might not look threatening, but Hayward is one of the most dangerous players in the league. You can see Hayward and the Jazz play the Orlando Magic for only $4 a ticket this Friday night, December 5.
Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks
Mavs fans have a great chance to see franchise player Dirk Nowitzki and their team face the talented Milwaukee Bucks in Dallas for just $6 a ticket.
When I think about who are the top foreign-born players in NBA history are, Hakeem Olajuwon and Dirk Nowitzki are numbers one and two. While Nowitzki is the better scorer, Olajuwon has the better overall resume and game, in my opinion.
But you definitely could make an argument in favor of Nowitzki being the best of all-time. What Dirk has done during his 17-year career is astonishing. His 27,138 career points are good for 9th all-time, one spot ahead of Olajuwon (who he passed earlier this season). Dirk will likely pass both Elvin Hayes and Moses Malone into 7th all-time this season. Nowitzki could also reach 10,000 career rebounds this season, something only 34 players have ever done. He won the MVP award in 2006-2007 and was NBA Finals MVP in 2010-2011. He’s been named to 12 All-NBA teams (four times 1st Team) and has made 12 All-Star teams.
It’s amazing how well Dirk is still playing at this stage of his career, but Nowitzki’s beautiful jump shot might never stop being effective. Watching that high release point never fails to amaze. On the year, Dirk is averaging 19.6 points per game and is still as potent a scorer as he’s ever been. You can see one of the NBA’s all-time greats take on the Milwaukee Bucks in Dallas for just $6 a ticket this Sunday, December 7.
Chris Bosh, Miami Heat
One of the top games of the week takes place Sunday in Memphis, and you can see the Grizzlies’ fantastic front court of Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol try to slow down Heat star Chris Bosh for only $14.
Before LeBron James left Miami, Chris Bosh made the decision to return to the Heat. When James did sign in Cleveland, the pressure on Bosh to produce at a higher level was on. But he slid back into star mode seamlessly, turning back into the Chris Bosh we knew when he was the man for the Toronto Raptors.
While the Heat aren’t world beaters this season, Bosh is having a fine year for a team that should make the playoffs. After four straight years averaging fewer than 20 points per game, Bosh is leading the Heat with an average 21.8 points per game. His rebounding is up to just under 9 a game and he’s become a more active distributor with 2.3 assists a game. Bosh has also become even deadlier from three-point range, improving his accuracy to 40.3 percent on the most attempts of his career. This kind of production really brings the sacrifices he made for team success into greater focus, but it is fun to have a dominant Chris Bosh back. When Bosh and the Heat face the Memphis Grizzlies this Sunday, December 7, you can see him for only $14 a ticket.
Jeff Teague, Atlanta Hawks
The Hawks haven’t had a point guard as good as Jeff Teague since Mike Bibby, and Teague might even be better. Atlanta fans can see Teague lead their team against Ty Lawson and the Nuggets on Sunday for just $20.
The Atlanta Hawks have been one of the bigger surprises in an Eastern Conference full of surprises, and one of the biggest catalysts behind their early success is point guard Jeff Teague. While he’s been steadily improving over the last few seasons, it feels like he’s putting everything together early on. Teague is leading Atlanta in scoring at 17.4 a game, but he’s also dishing out 7.3 assists. Both of those are career bests.
Teague’s playmaking has been a key for the Hawks on both ends of the floor. Teague has excelled in the half-court this year and on the break, where his speed and quickness help him make plays like this:
That will get your heart racing. Teague is bound to make more exciting plays like this on Sunday, December 7, when the Hawks go against the Denver Nuggets in Atlanta. You can get in the building for just $20 a ticket.
So to recap, here are the great players you can see and the great deals you can take advantage of this weekend:
| Player | Opponent | Price |
| Gordon Hayward | Orlando Magic | $4 |
| Dirk Nowitzki | Milwaukee Bucks | $6 |
| James Harden | Minnesota Timberwolves | $13 |
| Chris Bosh | Memphis Grizzlies | $14 |
| Jeff Teague | Denver Nuggets | $20 |
This is definitely a good deal. Who doesn’t want to see these stars?