Sept. 2 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. beat Argentina 118-81 to win the FIBA Americas basketball tournament, one day after both earned spots in the 2008 Beijing Olympics by reaching the final.

LeBron James scored 31 points to lead the U.S., which finished the two-week tournament in Las Vegas with a 10-0 record and outscored its opponents by an average of 39.5 points a game.

Dwight Howard added 20 points and Carmelo Anthony scored 16 for Team USA, which opened a 35-14 lead after one quarter at the Thomas & Mack Center and had a 25-point advantage over the Olympic champion at halftime. The U.S. averaged 116.7 points a game in the tournament and was held to less than 100 points once.

The U.S. improved to 36-0 all-time in Olympic qualifying, though has failed to win a gold medal in its past three major international competitions, including the 2004 Olympics and the 2002 and 2006 world championships.

The team's closest game at the FIBA Americas tournament was a 15-point win over Argentina on Aug. 31. Both teams were 7-0 at the time.

By winning semifinal games yesterday, the U.S. and Argentina qualified for next year's Olympic basketball tournament. They joined host China, world champion Spain and zone qualifiers Iran, Angola and Australia in the Olympic field.

Puerto Rico won the bronze medal at the FIBA Americas tournament today by beating Brazil 111-107. Guards Elias Ayuso and Carlos Arroyo combined to score 69 points for Puerto Rico.

To contact the reporter on this story: Erik Matuszewski in New York at matuszewski@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: September 2, 2007 21:39 EDT