Desmond Mason is expected to start at small forward for the Kings to begin the season.

An opportunity opened up for Mason after Francisco Garcia went down with a forearm injury.

"He was the last two games," Kings coach Paul Westphal told FanHouse of whether or not Mason would remain the team's starter. "Let's see where it goes."

Mason missed the first two preseason games with a bad back, but has excelled since.

"I don't really like to change (starting lineups) too much depending on opponents," Westphal said. "Doesn't mean that we might not be forced to do that in some respects. But every first quarter we've played with Desmond starting has been an excellent first quarter."