Atlanta — The Zion Williamson era with the Pelicans began Tuesday night at State Farm Arena in Atlanta.

So did the Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, JJ Redick, Josh Hart, Derrick Favors, Nicolo Melli, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Jaxson Hayes eras for that matter.

When all was said and done, Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry played 9 newcomers in the preseason opener, a 133-109 victory over the Hawks.

Along with being the first official action of the season, the game was a new beginning in more ways than one with four of the night’s starters new to the team, while all the new faces found their way onto the court.

Williamson did nothing to dampen the massive expectations surrounding him by having a strong first half with 11 points, including three dunks, on 5-of-10 shooting and five rebounds. He finished the game with 16 points, seven rebounds and a steal.

The No. 1 overall pick in last summer’s draft also dived for loose balls and was unselfish throughout, dishing out three assists.

But, not surprising, what got the most attention were the dunks.

The first of Williamson’s career came a few minutes into the game and was of the one-handed variety. Williamson gathered the ball from the behind the 3-point, beat his defender with a quick first step before tomahawking a finish over another Hawks player coming over to help.

Watch as Zion Williamson makes a girl cry as he signs her Pelicans shirt at preseason opener Before Zion Williamson even stepped to the court at the Pelicans' preseason opener, a little girl shed shocked tears over meeting the young ba…

He Then dunked a two-handed version minutes later and closed the half with a drive to the basket around multiple Hawks defenders.

“He had some great moments and I liked some of the things that he did," Gentry said. "The physicality about his game, especially offensively, will put him on the foul line quite a bit and so that’s always good getting into the bonus early.”

Williamson did make a couple mistakes, like the fast break turnover off his leg with 8:15 to play with the Pelicans trying to cut into the Hawks lead before halftime. He also had a tendency to fade from the offense whenever the Pelicans were in halfcourt sets. But with Jrue Holiday the team’s go-to scorer that might not be a problem. Holiday led all scorers with 21 points.

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“I think he’s going to improve and showed that he can get to the basket," Gentry said. "Defensively, he has work to do but that’s pretty much the case with every young kid that comes into this league.”

Ball, one of the three players to come over from the Lakers in the Anthony Davis trade this summer, showed off his playmaking ability, keeping the fast-paced Pelicans running whether off of one of his five rebounds or seven assists.

Ball’s former Lakers teammates Ingram (19 points, six rebounds) and Hart (six points in 16 minutes) both had strong games, scoring when needed or providing a veteran presence when the game was close during the first half and early in the third quarter.

Also making his NBA debut was Melli, with both players getting minutes in the first half. Williams ended up with 11 minutes and made the most of them with three points and two rebounds.

Melli might be a surprise to the Hawks fans in attendance who chanted “Who are you?” but he left an impression.

The 6-foot-9 Italian showed off his shooting ability, entering the game with early in the second quarter and promptly connecting on his first 3-point attempt of the game. Melli (11 points, 4-11 FGs) scored again on a dribble drive that brought his teammates to their feet while putting the Pelicans ahead 50-46.

“I thought Nicolo did a great job for us,” Gentry said. “He also had some shots that he’s pretty capable of making. He just did a really good job.”

As expected, 13-year veteran Redick played limited minutes, making two of his seven shot attempts in 13 minutes.

Alexander-Walker made his NBA debut with just under 1:30 remaining in the third quarter, scoring his first points on a put-back and looked like the instant-offense option for the Pelicans second unit. The Virginia Tech product scored 12 points on an array of moves including two 3-pointers.

Even Hayes got a few minutes of playing time with 4:30 left in the game, scoring his first professional points to put New Orleans ahead 131-104.

The Pelicans are back in action Wednesday in Chicago before hosting their only preseason home game at the Smoothie King Center Friday against Utah.