Lakers’ home sellout streak ends at 270 games

The Lakers suddenly have some catching up to do with the Clippers, and not just in the Pacific Division standings.

The Lakers’ home sellout streak ended at 270 games Tuesday night when the team drew 18,426, just short of the capacity of 18,997, during a 116-95 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans at Staples Center. The Lakers had sold out 320 straight games including the playoffs.

The last non-sellout for the Lakers at Staples Center came Dec. 6, 2006, against New Orleans/Oklahoma City, when they drew 18,535.

Meanwhile, the Clippers have sold out 97 consecutive home games dating to Feb. 2, 2011, and remain on track to reach 100 games Monday against the Memphis Grizzlies, according to a team spokesman.

The Clippers are also making gains on their hallway rival in the secondary ticket market. According to a Forbes.com report, the average price for the Clippers’ two home games against the Lakers this season is $40 more than the price when the Lakers play host to the Clippers.

Lakers tickets on the secondary market are still going for $70 more on average than Clippers tickets, according to Forbes, though that is down significantly from three years ago, when the gap between the teams was $150 per ticket on average.

Forbes reports that Lakers tickets are the third-most expensive in the league this season, behind only the Miami Heat and the New York Knicks.

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