The Lakers looked to repeat as NBA Champions, but they couldn't flick the switch this time as they lost to the Houston Rockets in Conference Finals in five games.
The 1985 NBA Draft took place on June 18, 1985. It was also the first NBA Draft of the "Lottery" era. The lottery was put into place so teams did not have to intentionally lose games to receive the number one pick.
On Wednesday, December 4, 1985, Maurice Lucas made a 60-foot shot at the regulation buzzer to send the game into overtime. The Lakers would go on to defeat the Utah Jazz 131-127.
The Lakers started the season 19-2.
On Wednesday, January 22, 1986, the Boston Celtics (31-8) defeated the defending champion Lakers (32-8) 110-95 in a matchup of the league's two best teams.
On Friday, January 24, 1986, the Boston Celtics (32-8) overtook the Los Angeles Lakers (32-9) as the team with the best record in the NBA. The Celtics maintained the league's best record for the remainder of the season.
On Thursday, February 6, 1986, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar scored 46 points in a game against the Houston Rockets, his highest single-game total since a 48-point performance against the Portland Trail Blazers on November 26, 1975. The Lakers defeated the Rockets 117-95.
On Sunday, February 16, 1986, in the season's second matchup between the Celtics and Lakers, this time in the Forum. Boston won again, 105-99 despite not having All-Star Kevin McHale in the lineup.
(1) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (8) San Antonio Spurs: Lakers win series 3–0
Game 1 @ The Forum, Los Angeles (April 17): Los Angeles 135, San Antonio 88
Game 2 @ The Forum, Los Angeles (April 19): Los Angeles 122, San Antonio 94
Game 3 @ HemisFair Arena, San Antonio (April 23): Los Angeles 114, San Antonio 94
Last Playoff Meeting: 1983 Western Conference Finals (Los Angeles won 4–2)
(1) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (4) Dallas Mavericks: Lakers win series 4–2
Game 1 @ The Forum, Los Angeles (April 27): Los Angeles 130, Dallas 116
Game 2 @ The Forum, Los Angeles (April 30): Los Angeles 117, Dallas 113
Game 3 @ Reunion Arena, Dallas (May 2): Dallas 110, Los Angeles 108
Game 4 @ Reunion Arena, Dallas (May 4): Dallas 120, Los Angeles 118
Game 5 @ The Forum, Los Angeles (May 6): Los Angeles 116, Dallas 113
Game 6 @ Reunion Arena, Dallas (May 8): Los Angeles 120, Dallas 107
Last Playoff Meeting: 1984 Western Conference Semifinals (Los Angeles won 4–1)
(1) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (2) Houston Rockets: Rockets win series 4–1
Game 1 @ The Forum, Los Angeles (May 10): Los Angeles 119, Houston 107
Game 2 @ The Forum, Los Angeles (May 13): Houston 112, Los Angeles 102
Game 3 @ The Summit, Houston (May 16): Houston 117, Los Angeles 109
Game 4 @ The Summit, Houston (May 18): Houston 105, Los Angeles 95
Game 5 @ The Forum, Los Angeles (May 21): Houston 114, Los Angeles 112
Last Playoff Meeting: 1981 Western Conference First Round (Houston won 2–1)
Note: GP= Games played; MPG= Minutes per Game; REB = Rebounds; AST = Assists; STL = Steals; BLK = Blocks; PTS = Points; PPG = Points per Game
Michael Cooper, J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award
Magic Johnson, All-NBA First Team
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, All-NBA First Team
Michael Cooper, NBA All-Defensive Second Team
