Magic Johnson Declares Kevin Durant MVP After 51-Point Outburst in Toronto

As they say at the track, we're coming down the homestretch of the NBA season, and the Oklahoma City Thunder's Kevin Durant is pulling away in the league's race for MVP.

Los Angeles Lakers legend Magic Johnson seems to think the race is already over. And who can blame him after Durant's ridiculous performance north of the border?

The big night was punctuated by a game-winning three from well beyond the line that sent the Thunder to a 119-118 double-overtime win over the Toronto Raptors:

And speaking of lines, Durant's was preposterous:

It's performances like this one that set Durant apart. And you'll notice "performance" was pluralized. OKC's superstar is making a habit of individually blowing people away this season:

The only other player who might be able to catch KD at this point is LeBron James, but it's hard to argue he means more to his team than Durant does.

Statistical arguments don't favor LeBron either, though it's still close:

	PTS	REB	AST	TS%	NetRtg
Durant	32.2	7.7	5.6	64%	8.1
James	26.8	6.9	6.4	65%	7.4

The only other thing Durant can do to leave no doubt would be leading his Thunder past the San Antonio Spurs in the standings for the No. 1 spot in the Western Conference. OKC is just 1.5 games back, and Durant has 13 more games until the regular-season finish line in what should be his first MVP campaign. 

Further, OKC's lead man may need to play without three-time All-Star Russell Westbrook going forward, even though the point guard told The Oklahoman (via ESPN) after the game that he was "pain-free" after leaving Friday's game in the third quarter with a knee sprain. 

Andy Bailey covers the NBA for Bleacher Report.

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