One injury announcement can freeze a ticket market. One return announcement can ignite it.

When news broke on March 5 that Jayson Tatum was set to return tonight against the Dallas Mavericks, Celtics ticket prices at TD Garden jumped 40% overnight — and sales nearly quadrupled in a single day.

Here's what the data showed.

Celtics Ticket Prices Spiked the Moment the News Dropped

The get-in price for tonight's game was sitting around $150 heading into Wednesday. Within hours of the return confirmation, that floor climbed to $215 before settling at $208 by Thursday morning — a 39% increase that held through game day.

For fans who were waiting to buy, the window closed fast.

Sales Nearly Quadrupled on Announcement Day

Price wasn't the only thing that moved. Transaction volume on March 5 jumped nearly 300% compared to the day before — buyers who had been holding out rushed in the moment Tatum's name was confirmed in the lineup.

It was the single biggest sales day of the entire game cycle, and it happened in 24 hours.

Why This Game Was Already Expensive

Even before Tatum's return, this was one of the priciest matchups of the NBA season. The Celtics are defending champions. The Mavericks just came off their own Finals run. A healthy Tatum pushed it into another tier — tonight's median price is nearly three times what it cost to see the same series in Dallas earlier this season.

What This Means If You're Buying Tonight

The cheap seats are gone. Buyers cleared the floor inventory almost immediately after the announcement, which is why get-in prices haven't come back down.

That said, last-minute supply often loosens in the 2–3 hours before tip-off as sellers drop prices rather than go home empty. If you're looking to get in at the best price, check Gametime close to game time — that's when last-minute deals tend to appear.

Find last-minute Celtics tickets on Gametime and set a price alert so you're ready the moment prices move.

Methodology: Data sourced from Gametime's secondary market listings and transaction data for the March 6, 2026 Mavericks at Celtics game. “Get‑in” refers to the lowest listed price available. Prices can change as inventory moves.

Rikki Bleiweiss is Content Lead at Gametime. Read more about our data journalism and editorial standards at gametime.co/blog/about