Online tickets for the Denver Nuggets Western Conference Finals series sold out in 25 minutes after going on sale on Ticketmaster at 6 p.m. Friday

Eight hundred fans showed up at the Pepsi Center for a 5 p.m. lottery to win a shot at buying approximately 400 tickets. Many of those lottery winners were still waiting in line at the box office windows when the online tickets sold out.

Earlier, local fans who signed up on the Nuggets’ web site for a Friday morning presale got a rude reception when they appeared to have scored seats — only to be rejected moments later.

Ticketmaster mistakenly turned away local buyers for having ZIP codes outside the region, said Paul Andrews, executive vice president of Kroenke Sports Enterprises.

The glitch affected only attempts to purchase tickets for the first home game, he added. Once corrected, the limited inventory for the morning presale sold out in 20 minutes.

Friday afternoon, fans hoping to get tickets in person were ushered into the Pepsi Center seats and told to choose any row in sections 144 and 146. Row and section numbers were drawn out of lottery tumbler and announced by Nuggets P.A. man Kyle Speller.

Fans pumped their fists and yelled out their row number when the drawing began.

When a row was announced, victorious fans would erupt from their seats as if Mr. Big Shot himself, Chauncey Billups , had just drained a game winner.

“I said my lucky number was nine and, look, now I’m going to all the games,” said Josh Seigel, 28, who sat in row nine in section 146.

Several Nuggets fans with memories stretching back to the days when Alex English and Dan Issel took the team to its last Western Conference Finals rejoiced when their row was called.

“I’m so excited, we need to cheer extra hard for these guys,” said Lupe Perez , a self-described Nuggets-lifer.

“We know we have the greatest fans and we wish we had one million seats to accommodate everyone,” Andrews said.

A total of 130 standing-room-only tickets will go on sale at noon before every home game at the Pepsi Center box office.

Andrews said that starting July 1, tickets for Pepsi Center events will be handled by TicketHorse, a Kronke venture that already handles tickets for Dick’s Sporting Goods Park and the Paramount Theatre.