Jan 13 (Reuters) - Australian shares rose on Thursday, helped by mining and energy stocks on strong commodity prices, while troubled casino owner Crown Resorts surged about 9% to be among top gainers on the benchmark index after a sweetened offer from Blackstone. The S&P/ASX 200 index (.AXJO) rose 0.4% to 7,438.9 points by 2327 GMT, extending gains from the previous session. Capping the gains was caution among investors after latest U.S. inflation data showed surging price pressures could reinforce bets that the Federal Reserve will soon be raising interest rates. Crown Resorts" (CWN.AX) leap was its highest in more than seven months after U.S. investment giant Blackstone Inc"s (BX.N) raised offer valued the company at A$8.87 billion ($6.46 billion). read more Among indexes, miners (.AXMM) led the gains with their jump of 1.8% to their highest level since mid-August last year. This was also their fifth straight day of advances. Nickel Mines Ltd (NIC.AX) hit a record high, up as much as 4.2%, as nickel prices soared on supply fears. The energy sub-index (.AXEJ) climbed 1.5% to its highest level in over two months as oil prices reached two-month highs. Coal miner Whitehaven Coal Ltd (WHC.AX) and Beach Energy (BPT.AX) were up 3.5% and 4%, lifting the sub-index further. Gold stocks (.AXGD) gained for a third straight day, up 0.6%, as bullion prices strengthened over a weaker dollar. Heavyweight financial shares (.AXFJ) also added 0.3%, with banking major Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Ltd (ANZ.AX) rising 0.6%, while National Australia Bank Ltd (NAB.AX) was up 0.7% Tech stocks (.AXIJ), however, took a beating, losing 0.6%, even as its U.S. peers gained overnight. New Zealand"s benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index (.NZ50) rose 0.2% to 12,824.32 points. In other markets, the tech-heavy Nasdaq (.IXIC) gained 0.2% overnight, while the S&P 500 E-minis futures were up 2.75 points. ($1 = 1.3732 Australian dollars)