Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers proved to be the best team in the Eastern Conference after defeating the Boston Celtics in front of the national audience, 117-109.Embiid played himself into the MVP front-runner position tonight, putting up a game-high 42 points on 63 percent shooting from the field, followed by Tobias Harris, who had 22 points and dished out five assists for the Philadelphia 76ers.Check out the first half of the 2020-21 NBA season schedule here.The Boston Celtics fought hard all night, but the Celtics, without Jayson Tatum, could not steal a road victory and have now lost back-to-back outings.Marcus Smart had 25 points, and Jaylen Brown, the leading scorer for the Celtics, had 26 points and brought down five rebounds.Jaylen Brown continues to progress for the Boston CelticsOrlando Magic v Boston CelticsJaylen Brown continues to show improvement this year. The 24-year-old is averaging 25.8 points on 52.9 percent shooting, both career highs.If Brown can maintain his current progression, he will undoubtedly earn his first All-Star team appearance this year and could very well be the Celtics' number one option down the road.Jaylen Brown (25.8 PPG on 52.9% from the field) warms up ahead of ESPN action!🏀: BOS/PHI at 7 PM ETMusic by @unitedmasters https://t.co/1xNyaZvJj1— NBA (@NBA) January 20, 2021Jaylen to the rack 🔨 pic.twitter.com/2qOxYA8amD— Boston Celtics (@celtics) January 21, 2021Jaylen Brown appreciation tweet.— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) January 21, 2021Fans are starting to believe Jaylen Brown is the answer going forward for the Boston Celtics due to his impressive play this season and Tatum's inconsistency.I like Jaylen Brown more than Tatum.... pic.twitter.com/nZV2p8GYz9— HENNE GAWD STAN (@FLY_LIBRA18) January 21, 2021 pic.twitter.com/exRPg5NCf3— Gunnar (@Gunnar2020) January 21, 2021Magic Johnson believes Jaylen Brown will not only make his first All-Star game but will maybe win the MVP. It might be a stretch, but we have to respect the Hall of Famer's input.LeBron James, Joel Embiid, Kevin Durant, Nikola Jokić and Jaylen Brown are the top five MVP candidates right now.— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) January 21, 2021The Boston Celtics might have lost the game tonight against the Philadelphia 76ers, but Jaylen Brown won the highlight.Brown danced around Ben Simmons and then let him know he was too small to guard him after draining a fade-away basket.Keep in mind these two came into the league in the same draft class, so there is extra motivation to outperform one another.oh dear. Jaylen Brown works out Ben Simmons, informs him he is, indeed, too small. pic.twitter.com/DskzbnmsTK— Wobin Sexton (@WorldWideWob) January 21, 2021Sorry Joe Biden.... Jaylen Brown is our President now. https://t.co/2WMYLlw16t— Ryan Leach (@Leach24) January 21, 2021With Kemba Walker back from his knee injury and Jaylen Brown playing the way he is, once Jayson Tatum returns to the lineup and the Boston Celtics are back to full strength, they will be one of the favorites to come out of the East.Joel Embiid carries the Philadelphia 76ers to a winJoel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ersJoel Embiid continues to seek revenge this season after being snubbed off the All-NBA list last season. He is averaging 25.0 points and 11.5 rebounds for the Philadelphia 76ers this season.Joel Embiid after not being selected to any of the All-NBA teams last season: pic.twitter.com/G2UJBgVazv— Sports Are Philly (@SportsArePhilly) January 21, 2021The Boston Celtics did not have an answer for Joel Embiid all night. He had a huge matchup advantage against Tristan Thompson and Daniel Theis."He's gonna score some... but 42 is too much." - Brad Stevens on Joel Embiid pic.twitter.com/V6JQFxLeOX— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) January 21, 2021Some would argue for Nikola Jokic is the best center in basketball, but Joel Embiid is certainly playing some of the best basketball of his career.Just made a list of all centers currently better than Joel Embiid pic.twitter.com/vrE05NADEc— charlie🎯(10-5) (@PostEmbiid) January 18, 2021Joel Embiid is on pace to winning this year’s MVP...he’s playing the best basketball of his career! Carry on...— Kendrick Perkins (@KendrickPerkins) January 21, 2021It looks like we are in for a tight MVP race this year. But I think Magic would give Joel Embiid the edge against Jaylen Brown at this moment.Joel Embiid dropped 42 tonight with 10 rebounds leading his Sixers over the Celtics 117-109. He’s an MVP candidate!— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) January 21, 2021The Philadelphia 76ers are the top team in the Eastern Conference. Still, it is hard not to think about how good they could have been with a James Harden and Joel Embiid combo.#Sixers become the first team to win 10 games in the East this season.— Michael K-B (@therealmikekb) January 21, 2021It's always good to beat Boston.🗣️ @joelembiid pic.twitter.com/Kr8Dd3LU94— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) January 21, 2021We'll take that W.#HereTheyCome pic.twitter.com/Kf1WzPb4kf— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) January 21, 2021