1985–86 NBA season

The season ended with the Boston Celtics winning their third championship of the decade, beating the Houston Rockets 4 games to 2 in the NBA Finals.

Notes Teams in bold advanced to the next round.

The division champions are marked by an asterisk.

Home court advantage does not necessarily belong to the higher-seeded team, but instead the team with the better regular season record; teams enjoying the home advantage are shown in italics.

The following players were named NBA Rookie of the Month.