Marco Belinelli will start Friday versus Houston, James Ham of CSN California reports.

Belinelli will start Friday versus Houston, James Ham of CSN California reports.

Analysis:

This is a surprise start for Belinelli, who's averaging 10.6 points, 1.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 0.8 steals, and 1.8 threes in 26 minutes per game. With DeMarcus Cousins out of the lineup, the Kings are going with a small ball lineup by playing Belinelli at the small forward, Rudy Gay at the power forward, and Kosta Koufos at Center.