Lottery pick headliners Donovan Clingan and Reed Sheppard sat out for the Portland Trail Blazers and Houston Rockets, respectively, in the NBA Summer League finale between both teams Sunday night. Their absences turned the game into a glorified Rat Ball session only viewable for the most devoted fans and persistent gamblers.

The Blazers gained control of the raggedy affair in the second quarter, then held off a late Houston comeback to win 105-95 and finish with a 3-2 record in Las Vegas.

With Clingan in street clothes, the primary attention for the Blazers turned to second-year forwards Kris Murray and Rayan Rupert, who still suited up. Both players finished their Summer League campaigns with respectable, multi-faceted stat lines, while point guard Kennedy Chandler provided a huge boost with a team-high 21 points on 9-13 shooting.

Murray again struggled with his shot, particularly in the first half, but still managed to finish with 20 points, nine rebounds, three assists, two steals, two blocks and just one turnover, while shooting 5-13 from the field and 3-9 on 3s. Rupert showed more versatility on offense as a creator and attacker, parlaying those skills into 15 points, four rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block on 6-12 shooting from the field and 2-5 shooting on 3s.

Murray looked competent on the floor, as a second-year, former first-round pick should in Summer League. He rebounded well, held his own defensively on the ball and in help side, made timely cuts, knocked down free throws and made correct passes when he did attack. But inconsistent shooting from deep continued to stick out like a sore thumb, especially since 3-pointers are the primary weapon he tries to provide on offense. After shooting a rough 1-5 from 3-point distance in the first half, Murray salvaged his shooting percentage with two straight triples to open the second half.

In a sideline interview in the second half, Murray admitted he struggled offensively during Summer League, but also noted he showed some solid skills defensively.

Rupert looked to attack the paint much more aggressively than Murray, using his length to get to the rack or put up floaters over defenders. While his handle wasn’t the tightest and the ball came loose multiple times (Rupert had three TOs), he also showed impressive flashes to get to his spots and finish with nice touch. Adding to Rupert’s production, his 3-point stroke was efficient and he showed more comfort as a facilitator, especially in the second quarter.

As far as game flow went, the game started with an ugly, rapid pace that didn’t result in many points for either team. Instead, it resulted in lots of early fast-break misses and a handful of turnovers. After the Rockets ended the first quarter with a 27-20 lead, the Blazers settled into a much healthier rhythm and seized control by outscoring the Rockets 28-13 in the second period.

That big second quarter was fueled by Chandler and Rupert. Chandler used his quick speed to consistently break down the Rockets defense for 10 points in the second quarter alone. The small guard did all his damage on the night while only attempting (and missing) one 3, and his performance likely swung the game. The big second quarter gave the Blazers a 48-40 lead at half. Portland’s lead got as high as 15 in the second half, before Houston threatened to come back late, getting as close as three points in the closing minutes. The Blazers held onto the win with some timely buckets and stops.

The loss dropped Houston to 2-3 for the Summer League season.

As a final aside, Blazers 6-foot-5 forward Yongxi “Jacky” Cui from China, who has generated some slight buzz among Portland fans for decent production in limited minutes at Summer League, didn’t play against Houston. At the time of writing this, this writer isn’t sure as to why Cui didn’t play.

The Blazers’ Summer League season is over, but there’s still one more game to be played in Las Vegas. The Memphis Grizzlies will meet the Miami Heat in Monday’s championship game. Tip-off is scheduled for 5 p.m. PDT on ESPN.