PHILADELPHIA — The last time Anthony Black stepped onto the court inside Xfinity Mobile Arena, the young Magic guard scorched the Sixers with 31 points and four 3-pointers during a 41-point Orlando road victory.

But that was four months ago and a lot has changed since then.

For starters, Philadelphia went onto win the third and final regular-season meeting between the Eastern Conference sides. That tiebreaker combined with Orlando’s five-point loss Sunday at Boston are part of the reason why the Magic find themselves on the road rather than at home for the Nos. 7-8 game of the NBA play-in tournament.

The winner on Wednesday night secures the No. 7 seed in the playoffs and the loser gets a second crack at advancing Friday against the winner of Tuesday night’s Nos. 9-10 game (Charlotte or Miami).

“Everyone knows what’s at stake,” Black said after the Magic practiced Tuesday on the campus of Saint Joseph’s University. “We’re just super excited to come out and play meaningful basketball to try and get a win.”

Black described the energy and vibes of practice as good despite what occurred Sunday against the Celtics. Magic coach Jamahl Mosley made it clear Orlando is focused on what it needs to do Wednesday rather than the past.

“Shake it off,” Mosley said about the Game 82 loss. “You’ve got to bounce back. You learn from it, look at the film and you can’t get it back. You’ve got to go on and take care of this play-in game right now.”

The play-in is nothing new for the Magic. It’s how they reached the playoffs last year, beating the Hawks in the Nos. 7-8 game at Kia Center. The winner of Wednesday’s game will face off in the first round of the playoffs against the No. 2 Celtics, who eliminated Orlando in just five games last postseason.

“The stakes are the same as last year’s play-in, but this year we’re on the road so it’ll be a little different,” Black said. “I think it’s fun though. It could be an area of growth for us before we start the playoffs, playing on the road in a postseason game against a good team. It’ll be a good experience for us and we’ll come out ready.”

Finding a way to win on the road would be considered an area of growth for the Magic, because it’s something they’ve failed to accomplish in the playoffs the last two years under Mosley.

In 2024, Orlando lost all four games on the road to the Cavaliers, including the series-deciding Game 7. A year ago, the Magic dropped three road games and one home game to Boston.

If anything can give the Magic a positive outlook on Wednesday’s game, it’s the fact that Philadelphia is expected to be without five-time All-NBA center Joel Embiid, who underwent a successful appendectomy last week.

The Sixers are still led by two-time All-Star Tyrese Maxey, six-time All-NBA forward Paul George and No. 3 draft pick VJ Edgecombe.

“With Embiid being out, it starts with Maxey,” Mosley said. “It’s his ability to create shots for himself but also for others. … They’ve got a lot of guys who can go score the ball so we’ve got to make sure we’re sitting down and guarding our yard keeping them out of the paint but also contesting all their shots.”

Orlando is also dealing with a pair of injuries to its depth. Jonathan Isaac (left knee sprain) and Jett Howard (left ankle sprain) were both on the court Tuesday and went through some movement, but still no contact work yet, Mosley said.

Regardless of who’s available, Black and the rest of the Magic feel confident entering Wednesday.

“I feel like every time we play them, I like what I see out there,” he said about the Sixers. “I feel confident and aggressive going downhill playing in transition, and I’ve been open a lot against them from the 3.

“So, I think just being ready to shoot, attacking downhill and making the right play, playing really good defense will be my goal.”

Jason Beede can be reached at jbeede@orlandosentinel.com

Up next …

Magic at 76ers, play-in tournament

When: 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, Xfinity Mobile Arena

TV: Prime Video