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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 Celtics
Jaylen 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.
Fans 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.
Magic 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.
The 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.
With 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 win
Joel 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.
The Boston Celtics did not have an answer for Joel Embiid all night. He had a huge matchup advantage against Tristan Thompson and Daniel Theis.
Some 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.
It 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.
The 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.
