OKC Thunder seek to enter break on positive note: Pelicans preview

Key match-up:

The biggest match-up of the game will be Williamson against Danilo Gallinari. As said earlier the young phenom is one of the toughest players in the NBA to stop. When he is close to the hoop his nuclear athleticism is simply devastating as shown by his highlight reel dunks from his college days.

Williamson is also able to hit from the outside as he showed in his debut. He is hitting 40 percent from deep over the nine-game stretch Zion is going to become a true inside/outside threat which will benefit the Pelicans for years to come.

Another area where Williamson is dominating is on the offensive glass. He is averaging 3.6 offensive rebounds per game, giving the Pelicans multiple shot attempts per possession. It will be up to Steven Adams to keep Williamson off the boards. His big body will be crucial in this game.

Likewise, Gallinari is going to need to make Williamson work on defense. He is going to find it harder to drive to the rim as Williamson is athletic enough to catch up even if he is a step behind. If the big Italian can light it up from 3-point land early then Williamson is going to be in for a long night.