Team Falcons and PARIVISION stand alone atop their groups, while 1w and Team Yandex share first place and Aurora Gaming is tied with Nigma Galaxy after Thursday’s action at the Dota 2 event of the Esports World Cup in Paris.

Group A’s Team Falcons and Group C’s PARIVISION each won with 2-0 sweeps over their opponents and are unbeaten. Team Yandex (3-0-1) also swept to victory in Group D, but 1w split a match 1-1 with OG to move to 3-0-1 in the competition. Similarly, Group B co-leader Aurora Gaming is 3-0-1 after a prior tie with Nigma and Friday’s 2-0 win over PTime.

The Dota event at the Esports World Cup is the final championship of the ESL Pro Tour, now in its fourth season. The tournament has a $2 million prize pool, with $750,000 and 1,000 club points going to the first-place team.

The format consists of three phases: a group stage (through Sunday) of four groups of six teams competing in a round robin, a survival phase (July 14-15) formatted into a single-elimination bracket that will see four teams advance, then a final playoff stage (July 16-19), which is single elimination.

All matches in Phase 1 are two games, while the matches in Phases 2 and 3 are best-of-three until the best-of-five grand final.

Overall, the Esports World Cup will feature competition in 25 titles and a total prize purse of $75 million. This week’s events also include Valorant, Apex Legends and Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves. Upcoming events will include League of Legends, PUBG, EA Sports FC, Call of Duty: Warzone, Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, Rocket League, Counter-Strike 2 and Fortnite.

On Friday in Group A, BetBoom Team swept Xtreme Gaming, winning in 39 minutes on green and 20 minutes on red. Team Falcons swept Poor Rangers in 31 minutes on green and 34 minutes on red. GamerLegion and Rune Eaters played to a 1-1 tie, with GamerLegion taking red in 52 minutes and their opponents emerging with a 68-minute victory on red.

Group B was all sweeps, as Aurora Gaming took down PlayTime in 46 minutes on red and 44 minutes on green; Team Liquid vanquished L1 TEAM in 28 minutes and 42 minutes, both on green; and Nigma Galaxy notched a 2-0 win over LEVEL Up in 28 minutes on red and 33 minutes on green.

Group C followed suit in with three sweeps. PARIVISION beat MOUZ in 43 minutes on green and 22 minutes on red; Vici Gaming knocked off Team Nemesis in 51 minutes on red and 39 minutes on green; and Team Spirit blanked REKONIX in 41 minutes on red and 28 minutes on green.

In Group D, Team Yandex swept LGD Gaming, winning in 33 minutes on green and 34 minutes on red. Virtus.pro blanked Inner Circle x Insanity, taking red in 35 minutes and green in 39. OG and 1w played to a 1-1 tie, with 1w winning in 40 minutes on red and OG emerging with a 51-minute victory on red.

Saturday’s schedule

Group A

–Xtreme Gaming vs. Team Falcons

–BetBoom Team vs. GamerLegion

–Poor Rangers vs. Rune Eaters

Group B

–Aurora Gaming vs. Team Liquid

–PlayTime vs. Nigma Galaxy

–L1 TEAM vs. Level UP

Sunday’s schedule

Group C

–PARIVISION vs. Team Spirit

–MOUZ vs. Vici Gaming

–REKONIX vs. Team Nemesis

Group D

–1w vs. Team Yandex

–OG vs. Virtus.pro

–LGD Gaming vs. Inner Circle x Insanity

Dota 2 Esports World Cup group-stage standings (match record W-L-T, map record)

Group A

1. Team Falcons, 3-0-1 (7-1)

2. BetBoom Team, 2-0-2 (6-2)

3. Xtreme Gaming, 1-1-2 (4-4)

4. GamerLegion, 1-2-1 (3-5)

5. Rune Eaters, 0-1-3 (3-5)

6. Poor Rangers, 0-3-1 (1-7)

Group B

T1. Aurora Gaming, 3-0-1 (7-1)

T1. Nigma Galaxy, 3-0-1 (7-1)

3. Team Liquid, 2-1-1 (5-3)

4. PlayTime 1-1-2 (4-4)

5. L1 TEAM, 0-3-1 (1-7)

6. Level UP, 0-4-0 (0-8)

Group C

1. PARIVISION, 4-0-0 (8-0)

2. Team Spirit, 3-0-1 (7-1)

3. Vici Gaming, 2-2-0 (4-4)

4. MOUZ, 1-1-2 (4-4)

5. Team Nemesis, 0-3-1 (1-7)

6. REKONIX, 0-4-0 (0-8)

Group D

T1. 1w, 3-0-1 (7-1)

T1. Team Yandex, 3-0-1 (7-1)

3. OG, 1-1-2 (4-4)

T4. LGD Gaming, 1-2-1 (3-5)

T4. Virtus.pro, 1-2-1 (3-5)

6. Inner Circle x Insanity, 0-4-0 (0-8)

–Field Level Media

Bam Adebayo punched his former Miami Heat teammate Tyler Herro during a brief altercation in Las Vegas on Friday, ESPN and The Athletic reported.

Both the Heat and the Milwaukee Bucks, Herro’s new team, confirmed to The Athletic that they were made aware of the situation, but they declined further comment.

Reports said the exchange took place on a practice court inside a hotel in Las Vegas, where NBA Summer League games are being held. Herro was with an AAU team that he runs. Adebayo approached him on the court and, after Herro said something to his ex-teammate, punched him in the “head area,” per ESPN.

Security at the court escorted Herro away, Adebayo also left on his own and Las Vegas police officers were not summoned to the scene, The Athletic reported.

Not long after the incident, but before knowledge of it became public, Herro participated in an interview with Amazon Prime Video ahead of a game between Miami’s and Milwaukee’s summer league teams.

“It’s all love. It’s all love in Miami,” Herro said. “I’ve seen a couple of the guys, and the coaching staff. Chris Quinn, Spo (Erik Spoelstra), front office guys. We are all good in Miami and just the opportunity for both sides to reset, get a fresh start and we’re both super happy for this.”

However, last week a series of direct messages between Herro and an anonymous fan leaked, showing Herro taking an apparent swipe at Adebayo’s defense.

“You should get paid 60 million to be a top tier defender on some nights? I’m just wondering,” Herro allegedly says in the messages.

The Bucks dealt Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis to the Heat for Herro, Kel’el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kasparas Jakucionis, three first-round draft picks, a second-rounder and a pick swap.

Adebayo, 28, has played his full nine-year NBA career with the Heat and was teammates with Herro for the past seven seasons. Adebayo broke out for 83 points on March 10 against the Washington Wizards, surpassing Kobe Bryant for the second-highest scoring individual performance in NBA history.

Adebayo, who signed a three-year, $166 million extension with Miami in June 2024, had 20.1 points and 10.0 rebounds per game in 73 games this past season. Herro, 26, averaged 20.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.1 assists but played just 33 games due to injuries.

–Field Level Media

Kevin McGonigle and Spencer Torkelson hit two-run homers and the streaking Detroit Tigers powered past the visiting Philadelphia Phillies, 10-2, on Friday.

Colt Keith added a solo shot in Detroit’s sixth straight victory and ninth in its last 10 games. Riley Greene reached base four times and scored twice, while James Outman supplied a two-run triple. Eduardo Valencia added two hits and an RBI in his second major league game.

Detroit starter Jack Flaherty (3-8) held the Phillies to two runs and two hits with three walks and six strikeouts in six innings. Philadelphia starter Aaron Nola gave up two runs and three hits with eight strikeouts in five innings.

Derek Hill led the Phillies offense with three hits, including a solo homer, and two RBIs.

The Phillies struck first as Hill blasted a 427-foot shot over the center field wall to lead off the third. The Tigers took the lead in the bottom of the inning on McGonigle’s homer.

Jake Rogers drew a one-out walk before McGonigle smacked a Nola sinker to the opposite field, just clearing the left field wall.

Philadelphia tied the contest in the fourth. Bryce Harper led off with a walk and Alec Bohm was hit by a pitch with one out. Bryson Stott walked to load the bases but Flaherty then struck out Gabriel Rincones Jr. Hill followed with a single that drove in Harper.

Detroit took control in the sixth against Tim Mayza (2-3). Greene and Matt Vierling walked and Valencia, who homered in his first major league at-bat on Thursday, drove in Greene with a single.

Zach McKinstry laid down a bunt and Mayza made a wild throw to first as Vierling scored. Outman then ripped a Mayza offering into the right-center field gap for a stand-up triple, knocking in Valencia and McKinstry. Outman scored on a balk to make it 7-2.

The Tigers padded their lead in the seventh against Max Lazar. Keith led off with a homer to right. Greene drew his third walk of the game before Torkelson clubbed his 16th homer over the left-center field wall for a 10-2 advantage.

–Field Level Media