The NBA's scoring race this season looks like it's going to go down to the wire. As of March 22, LeBron James leads the league with an average of 30.0 points per game. On his heels are Joel Embiid and Giannis Antetokounmpo who are at 29.8 and 29.7 points per game, respectively.
If you glance at an official league leaders page, there's a name you won't see: Kevin Durant.
The Nets' forward is right there at 29.6 points per game but doesn't qualify due to his total number of games missed. And yet... he can still officially win it.
Durant is operating under different rules than James, Embiid and Antetokounmpo because he's not going to appear in 58 games (70 percent of his team's games), which is the minimum to qualify for the league leaders. That doesn't mean he can't win the scoring title. He's just going to have to go the extra mile to add another one to his trophy case.
Let us explain.
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The minimum games loophole
As detailed by the NBA, the only exception to the rule is if "the player would have led the league in the category had he played the required number of games with his current category total."
Heading into Brooklyn's matchup with Memphis on Wednesday, Durant has appeared in 45 games this season. The Nets have 10 games remaining, so the most games he can play in is 55. In which case, Durant's total points through 55 games would be divided by 58, and he'd qualify as the league's leading scorer only if his average is still higher than James, Embiid and Antetokounmpo.
| Rank | Player | PPG | GP |
| 1 | LeBron James | 30.0 | 54 |
| T-2 | Joel Embiid | 29.8 | 58 |
| T-2 | Giannis Antetokounmpo | 29.8 | 59 |
| 4 | Kevin Durant | 29.6 | 45 |
Confused yet? Perhaps a real example would help.
In 2005-06, Gerald Wallace won the steals title even though he fell short of the minimum number of games.
Wallace recorded a total of 138 steals in 55 games, giving him an average of 2.51 steals per game on the season. Brevin Knight averaged the most among qualified players (at least 58 games) with 2.28 steals per game. However, Wallace still led the league in steals because his average with 58 games (2.38 steals per game) was still higher than Knight's.
Durant has some ground to make up on James, Embiid and Antetokounmpo to win the scoring title, but it's not out of the realm of possibility.
How many times has Kevin Durant led the NBA in scoring?
Durant already has four scoring titles to his name.
His first came in 2009-10 when he averaged 30.1 points per game. That was the first of three straight scoring titles, as he led the league with 27.7 points per game in 2010-11 and 28.0 points per game in 2011-12.
MORE: Ranking the 15 greatest scorers in NBA history
Durant then led the league in scoring a fourth time in 2013-14 with 32.0 points per game.
A fifth scoring title would break a tie with George Gervin and Allen Iverson for the third-most in NBA history. Michael Jordan has the most with 10, followed by Wilt Chamberlain in second with seven.
| Rank | Player | Times leader |
| 1. | Michael Jordan | 10 |
| 2. | Wilt Chamberlain | 7 |
| T-3. | Kevin Durant | 4 |
| T-3. | George Gervin | 4 |
| T-3. | Allen Iverson | 4 |
| T-4. | James Harden | 3 |
| T-4. | Neil Johnston | 3 |
| T-4. | Bob McAdoo | 3 |
| T-4. | George Mikan | 3 |
Kevin Durant career stats, highlights
- 27.1 points per game
- 7.1 rebounds per game
- 4.3 assists per game
- 1.1 steals per game
- 1.1 blocks per game
- 49.6 percent shooting
- 38.4 percent 3-point shooting
- 88.3 percent free throw shooting
