PREVIEW: The undefeated Oklahoma City Thunder (6-0) welcome the winless New Orleans Pelicans (0-5) to Paycom Center on Sunday , setting up a clash between two teams traveling completely opposite trajectories through the early season. Despite missing several key players including Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren, the Thunder have managed to field the league's top defense through six games , with low turnovers and an ability to limit rim attacks defining their defensive identity. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander anchors the team at 34.2 points and 5.7 assists per game , while Ajay Mitchell has been a revelation at 18.5 points per game and Isaiah Joe contributed 20 points in his season debut . The Pelicans, meanwhile, are searching for answers after three of their five losses have come by single digits, including a two-point defeat to the LA Clippers on a Kawhi Leonard buzzer-beater . New Orleans enters this matchup with notable structural problems on both ends of the floor. The Pelicans rank in the bottom four in offensive rating and second-worst in defensive rating, while weak guard play leaves them last in the league in assists per game. Their offensive attack leans heavily on rim attacks—ranking second in that category—but they also struggle with three-point efficiency and defend the three-point line poorly , creating a vulnerability the Thunder could exploit. While Zion Williamson averages 23.5 points and 6.3 rebounds and Jordan Poole has been hot at 19.8 points per game, the team struggles with playmaking overall , making consistent execution difficult against Oklahoma City's suffocating defense.