The time has finally come: the New Orleans Pelicans will face off against the Oklahoma City Thunder, kicking off the preseason and the Jamahl Mosley era.

While it is just the preseason, any look at what this team will look like this season is valuable. They are installing a new system on both sides of the ball, so don't expect it to look perfect right away. However, the effort and buy-in to what they are doing should be clear.

It will be interesting to see what rotations and lineups that the team is toying with, as well as which depth players begin to stand out. The roster is mostly the same; this unit still doesn't have a ton of time fully playing together, given how long Dejounte Murray was out and how Herb Jones had been dealing with injuries over the past two seasons.

Here is a quick rundown of important information to know before the game tips off on Tuesday:

Date: Tuesday, October 6, 2026
Time: 7:00 PM CT
Location: BOK Center (Tulsa, OK)

Streaming: Pelicans+
TV Channel: Gulf Coast Sports & Entertainment Network
Local Radio: WWL 870 AM

Moneyline: OKC -130
Spread: OKC -1.5
Over/Under: 222.5

Pelicans: G Dejounte Murray, G Herb Jones, F Trey Murphy III, F Zion Williamson, C Yves Missi

Thunder: N/A, their starters are sitting in this game.

Start to find some offensive identity.

The offense was lagging behind the defense back in the scrimmage the other day, but that is to be expected. This is a defense-first team, and that is always the side that comes together first. This staff has placed an emphasis on defense over offense. At some point, though, they're still going to need to grow on offense, as teams still have to score to win games.

Show a difference on the defensive side of the ball.

All of the effort that they have put in on defense needs to start showing immediately. While they are still growing as a team, they should at least have something to put out on the floor against a lot of depth players, even on the Thunder. Someone like Aday Mara will put them to the test at 7-foot-3. They will also face talented guards like Ajay Mitchell and Jared McCain.

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