The Houston Rockets play host to the Milwaukee Bucks, at Toyota Center on Thursday evening.

Giannis Antetokounmpo and James Harden finished first and second in the MVP race in the 2018-19 season, but both still have unfinished business, as neither were able to get to the NBA Finals. They kick off their respective seasons by going head-to-head in a matchup that may have some extra meaning for them personally, but also a contest that neither team can afford to take lightly.

The Rockets (0-0) made some changes in the offseason, highlighted by a trade that landed Russell Westbrook in Houston, in exchange for Chris Paul. The reunification of Harden and Westbrook is highly anticipated but also poses the question, as both players have the ability to dominate the stat sheet, can they do it together? In their final preseason game together, Harden finished with 44 points, seven assists and five rebounds, while Westbrook tallied 16 points, four rebounds and four assists. They shot a combined 18-of-39 in the contest.

Meanwhile, the Bucks (0-0) begin the 2019-2020 season with the additions of Wesley Matthews, Robin Lopez, Dragan Bender and Kyle Korver. Matthews is expected to start at shooting guard, while Korver, Bender and Lopez give the Bucks some solid depth to go along with the returning George Hill, Pat Connaughton, Sterling Brown and Ersan Ilyasova. The rest of the starters, including Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton, Eric Bledsoe and Brook Lopez will have an extra chip on their shoulder after seeing their hopes of a finals appearance be ripped away in four straight losses in the 2019 conference finals.