Portland Trail Blazers superstar CJ McCollum said that he was locked in heading into Game 7 of their Western Conference semis series against the Denver Nuggets.

McCollum fired 37 points on 17-for-29 shooting and tallied nine rebounds to lead the Blazers to a 100-96 win over the top-seeded Nuggets on Sunday at the Pepsi Center in Denver. McCollum was too hot to handle for the Nuggets, who failed to find an answer for the high-scoring guard.

Following the game, McCollum revealed that he was determined to go all out in the do-or-die showdown. He said that his brother sent him a message before the game, which changed his mentality. It worked wonder for him, as McCollum confidently said that he played a solid game for Portland.

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“Before the game my brother texted me, told me not to settle, told me get to the mid-range, get to the flow, get to the rim as much as possible,” McCollum said. “I just tried to be aggressive. I thought I played a very solid game.”

With the win, the Trail Blazers advanced to the Western Conference Finals for the first time since the 2000 NBA Playoffs. Portland will go up against the defending champions Golden State Warriors, who eliminated the Houston Rockets in their second-round series in six games.