Sam Amick

USA TODAY Sports

The NBA’s investigation into the Blake Griffin incident at a Toronto restaurant on Jan. 23 will conclude soon and will likely result in discipline for the Los Angeles Clippers forward, league commissioner Adam Silver told USA TODAY Sports on Wednesday.

In an NBA A to Z podcast interview that will air later this week, Silver discussed the fight between Griffin and the Clippers’ longtime assistant equipment manager, Matias Testi, that resulted in a broken right hand for the five-time All-Star. Griffin, who is expected to miss four to six weeks because of the hand injury, was on the verge of returning from a quadriceps tear that has had him out since Dec. 26.

Blake Griffin injures hand in Toronto restaurant fight with team employee

“The only update right now is we're continuing to investigate,” Silver told USA TODAY Sports by phone from his New York office. “There (are) a lot of people that we want to talk to, and ultimately ensure that we have as complete an understanding as possible as to exactly what happened.

“I'd say from the league's standpoint, of course it's the last thing that you want to see happen. And whether it's in the NBA, or in any industry, you have one co-worker, in essence, punching another co-worker. That's a terrible thing. Blake has acknowledged that. But at the same time, I know he recognizes that there are consequences of his actions.”

The severity of those consequences remains unclear, but there appears to be recent precedent in the situation between Memphis Grizzlies small forward Matt Barnes and New York Knicks coach Derek Fisher. After the two men fought at the Los Angeles-area home of Barnes’ estranged wife in October, Barnes was later suspended for two games. It remains to be seen, however, if the fact that Griffin engaged with a team employee who is of much smaller physique and stature might augment the punishment.

“That's what league offices are for, and that's what team management is for (to determine such matters),” Silver said. “So we're working closely with the Clippers on this investigation. I know Steve Ballmer recognizes that it's the last thing he wants to be associated with as the owner of the Los Angeles Clippers, and I know (Clippers president of basketball operations and head coach) Doc (Rivers) feels the same way. We want to bring this investigation to a conclusion fairly quickly.”

How latest Blake Griffin injury affects Clippers

The Clippers, who host the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday night, have a four-game road trip starting in Orlando on Friday. Rivers told reporters on Tuesday that he was hoping Griffin would join the team on the trip, but the team was waiting for the verdict before making a decision on that front. The Clippers, who are 32-16 and currently fourth in the Western Conference, have won 14 of 17 games since Griffin’s absence began.

“Because of Blake's (quad) injury, we probably could have moved faster if we had needed to,” Silver admitted. “But because we knew he was going to be out for an extended period anyway, we thought, 'Let's make sure we have … as complete an understanding as possible as to what happened.’ But I'm hoping we can wrap this up relatively quickly.”