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Each day following practice or shootaround, Joe Ingles and George Hill do the same thing. They shoot against each other competitively.

The games accomplish a few things. It's a fun and creative way to simply get shots up after long workouts, when players often want to hit the shower and go home. Secondly, it's a chance for them to further their relationship as teammates, get to know each other, which the Jazz need a lot of with so many new faces.

The trash talk between the two is pretty substantial, both in contests and afterwards. And that's to be expected. Ingles, entering his third season with the Jazz, is almost hands down the best and most boisterous trash-talker on the team. And Hill's not one to back down from a challenge.

"I'm not sure where Joe is getting his information from," Hill said playfully after practice, when Ingles said he has more wins than Hill. "Last I looked, I was up 5-4. So you should ask him about that."

For the Jazz, being close as a team off the floor is something they hope translates on the floor. And repetition is a part of that. Hill and Ingles shooting against each other has become sort of a tradition for them, and one the two look forward to.

As far as relationships go, Boris Diaw and Rudy Gobert have a good one, and it's obvious when looking at they play on the floor. Simply put, Diaw has so far made Gobert a better player offensively, finding the athletic center for easy buckets.

With the preseason winding down, the Jazz are trying to round into form, into a team. And simple things, like shooting together and against each other, are making that more of a reality.

"We feel like we're in a good place, physically and mentally," Jazz point guard Dante Exum said. "We have a lot of things that we still need to clean up, but we definitely know the best thing is to be connected on the floor. We want to see that more and more."

Moving on … and on

Gobert continued his dominant preseason on Monday night against the Los Angeles Clippers, scoring 14 points, grabbing eight rebounds and blocking a shot in 17 first-half minutes. Gobert has been Utah's best player since Gordon Hayward went down with a broken finger. Against Los Angeles, he was impactful on both ends of the floor.

Resting

The Clippers played without Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan on Monday night. Los Angeles coach Doc Rivers decided not to play his three stars, with the Clippers having a back-to-back against the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday night.

tjones@sltrib.com twitter: @tribjazz