Another easy victory for the U.S., 117-78

LAS VEGAS -- It’s not the NBA All-Star game. Or even Nevada Las Vegas basketball.

The U.S. vs. Mexico, or Uruguay, or most of the other teams in the FIBA Tournament of the Americas Olympic qualifying tournament, just can’t seem to compete with the bright lights of the Vegas strip.

Hardly a surprise. The sight of LeBron James rattling the rim with a dunk, or Kobe Bryant nailing a three-pointer just doesn’t have the same appeal when their team is up by 40 or 50 against players most American fans have never heard of.

That was the case again Tuesday night as the U.S. blew out Puerto Rico, 117-78, to clinch a berth in Saturday’s semifinals.

Perhaps the weekend climax to the tournament will boost attendance, but, for now, fans are staying away from the Thomas & Mack Center, site of the tournament, giving the games the feel of a summer league game.

In an arena that can hold 18,000, attendance, with tickets scaled from $15 to $150, has averaged around 7,000 with a low of 4,028 coming out for Monday night’s U.S. victory over Mexico.

“This is such a unique city,” said Daren Libonati, executive director of the arena. “On any night, people have over 75 entertainment events to choose from.”

Those are primarily options considered by tourists. Attracting local residents presents different problems.

“Monday was the first day of school,” Libonati said. “A lot of families were tied up with that. Plus, they can watch the games on TV.”

The biggest crowd thus far was 9,293 for the U.S.-Brazil game Sunday night.

James was the leading U.S. scorer Tuesday night with 21 points. Amare Stoudemire and Tyson Chandler each had a game-high eight rebounds. Deron Williams was the leader in assists with seven.

Tayshaun Prince, who sat out Monday’s game because of a sprained ankle, was back on the court, playing 19 minutes.

Bryant had 14 points before his night ended early, with just over five minutes to go in the third period after he picked up his third foul.

Bryant exchanged words with several Puerto Rican players after a couple of hard fouls.

“He was just working on his Spanish,” said his coach, Mike Krzyzewski, who approved of the rough play. “We love Kobe’s intensity. It’s a big part of who we are.”

The win officially improved the U.S. to 5-0 even though they have won six games. Their victory over the Virgin Islands no longer counts because the Virgin Islands has been eliminated. Similarly, tonight’s U.S. opponent, Uruguay, is officially 2-3 even though they have won three games. But a victory over Panama has been discarded.

--

steve.springer@latimes.com