Though there are five months left in the NBA’s regular season, Byron Scott already is looking for some separation.

Shucks, he was eyeing separation much earlier than December.

“We talked about that in September,” Scott said. “It’s never too early. The bottom line is in the Western Conference, you’ve got to win as many games as possible.”

(AP Photo/Paul Connors)

New Orleans Hornets guard Chris Paul drives to the basket around Phoenix Suns guard Raja Bell, right, in the first quarter of an NBA basketball game Thursday, Oct. 30, 2008, in Scottsdale, Ariz.

The Hornets, at 9-6, are only one game worse than they were a year ago heading into tonight’s 7 p.m. showdown at home against the Phoenix Suns (11-7).

But New Orleans sits in seventh in the West after finishing second in the conference to end the 2007 season.

A big reason they’re in the position they’re in is a lack of home-court prowess. New Orleans only is 4-3 at home, losing close games to the Lakers, Kings and the Hawks.

And that’s something Scott said needs to change.

“The one thing we haven’t done a really good job of is playing well at home,” he said. “That has to change. We’ve always been a good road team. Last year, we were a pretty good home team as well.

“That has to be something that has to change and hopefully it’s something that can start tonight.”

It won’t be easy, not with Shaquille O’Neal providing such a beefy presence on the inside.

Despite O’Neal’s age (36) and length of years in the NBA (16), he still commands respect among those who must guard him.

Like, say, Hornets center Tyson Chandler, who missed the Hornets’ 108-95 win over the Suns earlier in the season with a sprained ankle.

“Shaq is always going to be a big body out there,” Chandler said. “He’s always going to be a threat. As the years go on, as his physical qualities decline, he learns how to be more effective on the court. Mentally, he gets stronger.”

O’Neal certainly helped the Suns on the boards a year ago after he was traded to them. With the former LSU standout, Phoenix is plus-3.5 in rebounding margin. Without him, it gets outrebounded by more than 5½ rebounds.

This season, he’s averaging a team-high 8.5 rebounds per game, of which nearly 6 come on the defensive boards.

“I don’t care how old Shaq is, how many years in the NBA, he’s going to demand a double team any time he’s on the court,” Hornets point guard Chris Paul said. “He commands the most attention of almost anybody in the league.”

To combat Shaq and to make the New Orleans Arena a true home court, there’s only one solution – be more aggressive.

That’s something that, thus far, has eluded the Hornets for stretches of games this season.

“Even though we have a lot of jump shot shooters on our team, we’ve got to be a lot more aggressive and start to get to the free-throw line and things like that,” Paul said. “We can’t rely on jump shots every night.”

Added Chandler, “We’ve put together halves and quarters. We need to be able to play a full game.”

Tickets: The Hornets announced Wednesday morning that tickets were still available for tonight's game against the Suns.

Bradley Handwerger can be reached at bhandwerger@wwltv.com or 504-529-6439.