1)      In the very first game played in the NBA this regular season, New Orleans makes the first of 30 nationally televised appearances at 7 p.m. Central, visiting NBA champion Toronto. Watch on TNT, or listen to the Pelicans Radio Network, with pregame coverage starting at 6. On ESPN 100.3 FM, “Pelicans Walkthrough” starts at 6, followed by “Pelicans Warmup” at 6:30. The team is holding shootaround this morning at Scotiabank Arena.

2)      Unfortunately for Zion Williamson and the Pelicans, the No. 1 overall draft pick will be sidelined 6-8 weeks due to a knee injury.

3)      New Orleans won’t have its prized top draftee Tuesday or for the next stretch of games, but the Pelicans recently discussed how eager they are to start the 82-game schedule.

4)      Get ready for Tuesday’s season lid-lifter by listening to Monday’s Pelicans Podcast, featuring guest Doug Smith, a newspaper reporter who covers the Raptors for the Toronto Star.

5)      The Pelicans’ Week 1 schedule consists of three opponents entering 2019-20 with high or relatively high expectations. The Raptors are No. 8 on NBA.com’s power rankings list, while Dallas (Friday at home for New Orleans) is No. 18 and Houston (Saturday on road) checks in at No. 6. Incidentally, Week 2 begins with matchups against No. 9 Golden State and No. 3 Denver.